Code-V: Recollections
by Shimmering-Sky
Summary: A series of one-shots connected to my story "Code-V: Rebirth". Number 7 - "Mother". By chance, a mother and son torn apart by the invasion find each other in the ruins of a candy shop.
1. 1: Rain

**A/N: Hello, everyone! Welcome to "Code-V: Recollections", a sort-of, supplementary story for my story "Code-V: Rebirth", which you've hopefully all read before this. This story's purpose is to portray events glossed over in "Rebirth", or perhaps from a different point of view, or even certain ideas that had to be completely scrapped in the process of working everything out. I have several ideas for this, but it's certainly not going to get very frequent updates. It's more of a "let's dump ideas because writer's block on everything else" kind of story.**

 **This first installment showcases how Shun and Naomi first met. They seemed quite close in "Rebirth"… but it wasn't always that way.**

 **(Music to listen to: Theishter - Anime on Piano's version of Porter Robinson and Madeon's "Shelter".)**

* * *

 **Rain**

Shun hated rainy days. Rainy days meant the best birds were all hiding, and he was _supposed_ to take Ruri bird watching for the first time once he got home from school, as a belated present for her fifth birthday. He especially hated _this_ rainstorm though, because the weatherman hadn't predicted it, so the only thing he had was an old, dark-blue coat he kept in his cubby that was three sizes too small and didn't even have a hood. And since his parents were both at work, he'd have to _walk_ all the way home in this.

The seven-year-old grumbled as he abandoned the idea of actually _wearing_ the coat, and instead set to tying it over his back. At least then, his stuff would stay dry. When that was done, he stepped out from under the overhang, and immediately felt the chilling rain on his skin. He'd have to run if he didn't want to catch a cold.

But just as he was about to take off, he happened to catch a glimpse of someone in his peripheral vision. He turned a little, just out of curiosity, and saw a dark-haired girl slumped up against the wall outside of the school, completely exposed to the rain. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, and her head was buried inside them. Her shoulders shook—whether she was crying or if it was from the cold, Shun couldn't tell.

The sight of this girl made him stop. He chewed on his lip. There was no one else around, and the girl wasn't even wearing the school's uniform—she was wearing some weird yellow-and-white one-piece jumpsuit. But judging by how wet her clothes were, she'd been sitting here for quite a while, with no one to help her. Should he help her? He didn't even know who she was… But, did that really mean anything? If it was Ruri sitting there, he would hunt down whoever'd made her cry and make sure they paid for it. This girl didn't look as young as his sister, but still…

Shun sighed, and hoped that the things in his backpack would still stay dry after he took off the coat. Kneeling next to the girl, he held out the dark-blue fabric and cleared his throat to get her attention. "Hey. You shouldn't sit out here, you'll get sick."

The girl mumbled in her arms, and didn't move. Now that he was next to her, he could hear her sniffling and half-choked sobs, and he frowned. What sort of person left their child crying on the side of a road in the middle of freezing rain?

…Either way, the girl hadn't acknowledged his presence outside of her mumbling that he hadn't even heard, so Shun attempted put the coat over her shoulders—like it would do _him_ much good at this point—intending to just leave it at that and run home. But the moment he moved towards her, the girl's head shot up in alarm and she slid across the pavement away from him. Her golden eyes were wide with fear and bloodshot from her crying, and her breathing had gotten _way_ faster.

The sudden movement had made _Shun_ jump back in surprise as well, the coat falling to the ground as he held his hands up defensively. " _Whoa_! I was just trying to _help_. Now my coat's _completely_ useless…" he grumbled, eying the puddle it had landed in.

The initial shock left the girl's face as her shoulders relaxed, replaced by a quizzical look as she cocked her head to the side. "You were trying to help… me?"

"Well I _was_ , but look where _that_ got me," he shot back, attempting to ring out the blue jacket like that would do anything. He sighed and left it there instead; it was too small for him anyways, he didn't need it. "Just forget about it."

 _That's the last time I let my big brother instinct get the better of me,_ he huffed.

With that, he ran off in the direction of home.

If he'd stayed for another moment, he would have seen the dark-haired girl pick up the jacket and pull it over her shoulders, the hints of a smile on her face as she whispered, "I don't believe it… He, he tried to help _me_. I hope this isn't just some dream…"

* * *

It was on another rainy day that the two of them met again, two weeks after their initial meeting. Though Shun was 99% sure she'd been following him around every day before their second meeting, he'd felt like someone had been watching him as he walked home but had never been able to see who it was.

Until today.

Because the strange dark-haired girl had lost her balance on the slick ground and slid all the way down the hill _he'd_ just walked down, and just so _happened_ to catch him at the bottom. Which was directly over the top of a short overhang that he'd been waiting at for a friend to show up. And she'd _really_ gained a lot of momentum from sliding down that hill.

Presently, the two lay on their backs at the bottom of this overhang, in a rather muddy puddle that had been gathering there all afternoon. Shun stayed there, blinking as he stared up at the railing two meters above his head, trying to get a grasp on what had just went down. He really should've seen it coming, given how loudly the girl had been screaming.

The girl, on the other hand, had almost immediately shot up after her shock dried up, and now her face filled almost all of Shun's vision and her hands gripped one of his so tightly he couldn't wrestle it back. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, the ground was just so wet and I've always been kinda clumsy and I totally didn't mean to knock you off the steps please forgive me," she rattled off, all in one breath.

Shun narrowed his eyes at her and scowled despite the fact that she helped him up. "You again…"

The girl let go of him and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Y-Yeah… I'm… um… sorry. For—well, for everything." She proceeded to bow her head in disgrace… then held out a folded-up piece of blue fabric that threw Shun for a loop until he recognized it as his old jacket. "You can, um, have this back…"

"It's too small for me anyways," Shun said, crossing his arms and staring at the girl. "…Is this why you've been stalking me for two weeks?"

The tips of her ears turned bright red, as did her cheeks. "Uh—maybe. Yes. I just, I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say… so, um… h-here'syourcoatbackthanksforlettingmeborrowit. Bye."

Before he could say a word, she'd already forced the coat into his hands and fled from him. He tried getting her to stop, but she didn't listen—and she was _way_ too fast for him to catch up.

 _I still don't know her name_ , he thought disdainfully, then shifted around as he remembered he was sitting in a muddy puddle and scrunched his face at the thin layer of brown now covering his pants. _Well, it doesn't matter. I hope I_ never _see her again, she's nothing but trouble._

* * *

It's overcast, not raining, when they meet again almost a month later. It was _supposed_ to be sunny that day, but the clouds rolled in on their way to the park and it was too late to go back home. Their parents _finally_ had off of work together for that day only, the Kurosakis were going to the park that day as long as the rain _didn't_ come. Yuto and his mother had come out too, so while their parents sat back and talked the afternoon away, the three kids had fun chasing each other around the park (usually Ruri and Yuto ganging up on Shun). Until their playdate got to the point that it always did—they had to Duel. Shun loved it— _he was gonna be a Pro Duelist once he was older, he knew it_ —Ruri loved _watching_ it, as she didn't have her own cards yet, and while Yuto wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as either Kurosaki, he certainly wouldn't pass up the chance.

It was in the middle of Yuto and Shun Dueling that Ruri suddenly ran over to behind a nearby tree—and dragged a black-haired girl only a little bit taller than herself out from behind the tree, giggling as she said, "C'mon! You don't hafta hide to watch!"

"B-But I shouldn't—"

It took him a second, but Shun recognized the girl his sister was dragging toward them, and he frowned. She wasn't in that weird jumpsuit anymore, rather shorts and a yellow hoodie with sleeves far longer than her hands. " _You_ again?"

The girl offered a strained smile. "Yep. Me."

Ruri looked between her brother and the strange girl. "Huh…? You know her, nii-san?"

"No," he huffed, crossing his arms across his chest. "We've met like, twice. I don't even know her name."

"Then how come you already don't like her?"

"Oh—I, um, kind of pushed him into a puddle. On accident," the girl muttered sheepishly, fiddling with her sleeves. "I was—kinda—I'm really clumsy. Not really an excuse though… I understand if you hate me. _I'd_ hate me if I was you." She fished through the one pocket at the front of her jacket and pulled something out—a card. "H-Here… I, um, wanted to say I'm sorry about that."

He took the card warily—and immediately his jaw dropped. _Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon_. It was the _one_ "Raidraptor" card missing from his Deck, one of the rarest of the rares when it came to his favorite archetype. But… how could _she_ have known he used these cards? And known that this was the one he was missing? "You… how?"

That stupid smile of hers was back. "Nee-chan works for a card company. I saw you Duel last week, and I just thought maybe you didn't have this card, so I asked her if she could maybe get a copy and she did, so I'm giving it to you as my apology!"

He'd be lying if he said he didn't want the card. But… "Why d'you wanna apologize so bad?"

"Well, 'cause you were nice to me!" she said, matter-of-factly. "I wanna be friends! My name's Naomi, what's yours?"

* * *

It wouldn't be until the first day of the next school year that Shun would meet Naomi again. He was starting his third year of school, and Ruri was starting her first, so for the first time he wasn't walking to school by himself. He, kind of wished that he was still alone though. Ruri even _more_ of a bundle of energy than she usually was, skipping ahead of him several times—which was bad, because it was raining and they only had one umbrella, and Shun was too nice when it came to his sister to not attempt to keep her under it.

He'd just caught up to her for the fifth time when Ruri suddenly stopped, tugging on his sleeve as she jumped up and down, pointing across the street. "Look, nii-san! It's Mimi!"

He held back a scowl as he followed her gaze to where, yes, that annoying girl was sluggishly walking down the street. She certainly looked less happy than she had been the other times they'd met… but the oddest thing was her choice of attire—a yellow-tinted _garbage bag_ with holes for her head and arms, over the top of the uniform for _his_ school.

"Mimi! Hey!" Ruri called, waving her hands to get her attention.

Naomi looked up, and the gloomy look on her face immediately switched into a cheerful grin as she ran across the street to talk, much to Shun's chagrin. "Hi Ruri! Hi Shun! How're you doing?"

"Really really good! I get to start school today!" Ruri replied, while Shun just grumbled a little.

"That's cool! Me too!"

That made Shun shoot her a quizzical look; he hadn't thought Naomi was _that_ young. "You're only six?"

"Nuh-uh! I'm _nine_!" Naomi said with an angry pout. "I just haven't gone to school before! I… well…" She looked away. "Back home, I…"

Okay _that_ couldn't be right. She was _older_ than him?! "No way you're nine! You're too short!"

She huffed at him, nearly stomping on his foot. "I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet, meanie! I'll be tall just like nee-chan when I'm older!"

"Like your _sister_ , huh? Then I bet your _parents_ are short!"

No one said they'd be tall like their _siblings_ , they said they'd be tall like one of their _parents_. The insult made sense to him, but he hadn't intended for _this_ to be her reaction. He'd just wanted her to admit she was lying about her age.

However, the moment he'd said the word "parents", Naomi's face fell, and her eyes darkened. He could see the hint of tears in her eyes as she turned away from him and muttered, "You… You don't know _anything_ about them! Stupid!" Then she ran off in the direction of school, half-covering her face with her hands.

"What…?"

Ruri stomped on his foot, puffing her cheeks angrily at him. "Nii-san! You made Mimi cry! You gotta go say sorry or else you're a big bully!"

"I didn't mean to—" At the glare his little sister gave him, he cut himself off and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine. I'll go say sorry."

They found her sitting by the entrance of school, the exact same place Shun had found her almost a year ago. Only this time, there were others around—other kids, and some parents, that walked past her and gave her strange looks and muttered about her strange choice of attire or about the fact that she was crying at school. The sight of it made an _awful_ feeling settle in Shun's stomach. Naomi might annoy him, but no one deserved to be treated like that.

So he walked over and held the umbrella over the girl's head, and offered an attempt at a smile when she looked up to see why the rain had stopped. "You'll get sick if you sit out here," he said, mimicking the first thing he'd said to her.

She sniffed, dragging her sleeve across her eyes, and glared at him. "Go 'way, meanie. I don't wanna be friends anymore."

The boy bit his lower lip. That, stung, more than he thought it would. "I just—Naomi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, make you sad."

Ruri grabbed Naomi's hands, making the biggest puppy-dog-eyes ever at the dark-haired girl, who was attempting to back away from them. "Nii-san's telling the truth! You can't hate him, please stay friends with us!"

Almost half a minute passed in silence, before Naomi let out a small laugh and smiled at them. "I… ah… o-okay, I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you, Shun! We can still be friends, right?"

He smiled back at her and helped her back to her feet after Ruri gave her a big hug as thanks. "Of course. But, you have to ditch the garbage bag."

"Huh?" She looked down at herself and frowned. "But I don't have one of those, um, cover thingies you do. How'm I gonna keep my clothes dry?"

"'Cover thingies'? You mean an umbrella?"

"Yeah! That! I don't have one of those!"

"How could you _not_ have an umbrella? _Everyone_ does!"

"Well then I'm not 'everyone'!"

Ruri laughed as her big brother and her friend continued to bicker, up until she noticed that there weren't any more kids walking around campus—class had already started.

* * *

Naomi's necklace, a silver-grey crescent moon with crystals set on it, was heavy in his pocket. He took it out, ran his thumb over the gemstones, and put it back in his pocket. He rolled over, the stabbing pain of the burns covering his back long having dulled since he'd woken up. No, the only pain that bothered him right now was the tightness of his throat that just seemed to get worse as he fought back tears. He couldn't cry, not until their world was peaceful again.

It seemed that all the most important days that Shun spent with Naomi were rainy ones, or at least overcast.

It was only fitting that he lost her on a rainy day as well.

* * *

 **A/N: …And that's how my muses manage to turn everything bright and happy into something downright depressing by the end of it. Leave it to them to ruin everything…**

 **Seriously though, I hope you guys enjoyed this! And hey, if** _ **you**_ **think of anything you'd want to see—maybe there's a Noodle Incident I glossed over, or you want to see what a different character thought about a certain scene—tell me in a review or in a PM. Provided I don't intend to include it in "Rebirth" already, I would happily write out whatever you want to see. That's the whole point of this story.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 _ **(I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V.)**_


	2. 2: Milk and Money

**A/N: This is a special treat, both for me and for all of you. See, after Reizo's aside mention in chapter 17 of the fact that he had to go to therapy to deal with his memories from his life as Lelouch, I had the idea to expand upon that in this story. But I'm certainly not a therapist and have thankfully never had to see one myself.**

 **Most of you reading this have probably read a certain popular story in the ARC-V fandom, Donjusticia's "Signs of Renewal". If you have, then you would know that he has an OC in there that** _ **is**_ **a psychologist and for that reason, my muses were** _ **convinced**_ **that Daichi would be perfect for this role. I asked Donjusticia if he would, perhaps, be interested in assisting me with this idea.**

 **He proceeded to write the entire thing in two days.**

 **The only work I did on this chapter was edit some of the internal monologue to fit the backstory for "Rebirth" and fill in some details Donjusticia wouldn't know since he hasn't seen** _ **Code Geass**_ **.**

 **From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Donjusticia.**

* * *

 **Milk and Money**

Akaba Himika nervously paced the room of what was formerly her husband's office, before he abandoned her and the rest of their family not even a year ago. Normally, in public, she maintained the image of a cool, calm, collected, and calculating corporate titan, capable of achieving victory in any capitalist conquest she put her mind to. However, during her private moments, when neither the press nor her employees were watching her, she couldn't stop thinking about the conversations she had begun having with her husband before he left her.

 _"You are not real."_

He had said that to her face. Her _face_. His _wife_. The very person who had fallen in love with him, stayed by him, married him, bore his sons, supported him, and given _everything_ to him. But all of that, all her love and sacrifice, all of that evaporated away once a strange man had shown up in the middle of the night, claiming that Leo owed him something more important than life itself. Leo had sent the man away immediately, not knowing at all what he was talking about. It had worried Himika, since her husband very well _could_ have known the man—one of the first things she'd learned about him when they first met nearly nine years ago had been that he suffered from major amnesia—but a month passed and absolutely nothing had happened.

Then, he started having those… visions. They kept him up at night, as he clawed at the metal plating that held the left side of his skull together until his fingers bled. Naturally, after this happened three nights in a row, she'd driven him to the hospital, gotten him medicine to stop him from nearly killing himself in his sleep.

It only got worse. He raved almost endlessly about some strange original universe, his _real_ wife, who was supposed to have died during childbirth, and his _daughter_! What _daughter_? Reiji and Reizo were his only children, both _sons_ , not daughters. And _she_ was very much alive after giving birth to them both!

Yes… that was what had started it. That was what had begun his descent into madness. That's what had driven him to break her heart and treat her as if she was nothing more than one of his Real Solid Vision holographic projections.

And now… now their youngest son, Reizo, was having those same visions.

What might have caused regular mothers to coo with delight upon learning that their precious little angels had such a creative imagination, stirred absolute horror in her. Reizo sounded just like Leo, going on and on about people she knew couldn't be real—C.C., Zero, Suzaku, Kallen—or he would call Reiji by a name that wasn't his and claim he didn't remember what he said, or he would cover his eyes like they were in pain and spout nonsense about some weird ge—gea—goose?—thing in an eerily similar fashion that her husband did. But what made it even worse was the fact that more often than not his _delusions_ would take over and he would _insist_ that all the strange people and events he talked about were real, _and_ that he was from that other world.

The absolute _worst_ of those times, he wouldn't recognize her or Reiji at all, demanding to know where someone named "Nunnally" was. His younger sister, he claimed.

She could not bear the thought of losing _another_ member of her family to some strange delusion, but she had restrained herself from taking drastic action, telling herself that if she merely encouraged Reizo to be practical and not focus on his fantasies, then he would not end up like Leo. He was still just a little child and she could ignore it. But then, only a few months later, something happened that broke the camel's back.

She'd been sorting through emails and computer files in Leo's office—my _office_ , she reminded herself, _it's my office until Reiji is old enough to take over_ —when she'd stumbled upon a buried file named "Revival Zero", which contained images of two different children, a boy and a girl, labeled "Z-ARC_001 Yuri" and "RAY-A_001 Selena", respectively. That would be suspicious enough in and of itself—Ray was the name Leo had called his " _daughter_ " by—but not enough to change her mind on Leo and Reizo only seeing delusions.

No. It was because, written in the top right corner of both images, were the words "-dimension- Fusion".

 _Dimension_. That word, that _wretched_ word that tore her family apart.

She should have just left it at that. But she didn't, she was vindicated to get to the bottom of her husband's delusions, and discovered fragments of a journal embedded in the system. The most important parts were unintelligible, having been deleted, but it included pictures, several of a strange castle on an island—Academia. Along with names of students and faculty… with Leo at the top of the staff. This was where Leo had gone, and yet… it was a place that didn't exist _anywhere_ , its students and staffs' names didn't appear in _any_ database, but there were pictures and hard evidence right here in front of her.

They were real. The other dimensions… they existed!

Himika had been struck with a new terror then. A terror that came from the thought that her husband, perhaps, had not been mad. What if she wasn't real? What if she really _was_ just a shadow? A cheap illusion who only thought she existed?

But she could not accept that! It was not possible! She was real! She knew this! She thought, she felt, she _was_ real! Reiji was real! Reizo was real! Their _family_ was real!

And yes… even he… even Leo… especially Leo… the very person who had betrayed her and their family… he was very real, and every other person, place, and thing in every dimension was too. Even so, she would not— _could_ not—let Reizo sink into the same destructive pattern of thinking that Leo had sunk into. Till she drew her very last breath, till every last ounce of her energy was exhausted, she would save him, she would cure him! She would do everything for him she had failed to do for her husband when he had left her to pursue his insane goals in the Fusion Dimension.

Perhaps it was ironic then, that the very person she now turned to in order to save Reizo from himself, hailed from the very same dimension Leo had run off to. But as Reizo's episodes only grew worse, no other psychiatrist or medications had been able to help. This man from Academia was her _last_ hope.

There was a knock at the door.

Straightening her somewhat frazzled hair and composing herself as quickly as she could, Himika sat at her desk, assuming a business-like pose before commanding, "Enter."

Opening the door, one of her most trusted employees, Nakajima, entered her office, the light of the room reflecting off his thick sunglasses.

"Someone to see you, Miss Akaba," Nakajima stated, maintaining a composed and professional expression on his face as he addressed his employer. "A Dr. Ishikuma Daichi, if I'm not mistaken."

"Send him in," Himika replied, struggling to reign in her anxiety and maintain a professional tone of voice.

Bowing his head, Nakajima exited the room, opening the door to admit a new person.  
Against the brightness of Himika's office, the man named Dr. Ishikuma Daichi looked like a shadowy blot of ink. Daichi was a fairly young man, who looked to be in his early twenties, with tanned Asian skin, a smooth face, short black hair, thick horned-rimmed glasses over a set of thin-squinted intelligent blue eyes, and a small smooth nose. His clothing consisted of a large dark-black trench coat with small white notepads winking out of the pockets, a professional black tie, shiny black gloves, black boots, and a smooth black bowler hat. Briskly strolling towards Himika with a bright smile on his face, Daichi bowed slightly to her before offering her his hand, which gave off a shiny glare from the sheen of his black gloves.

"Miss Akaba…" Daichi enthused, "…truly it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Himika nervously took Daichi's hand, noticing the shiny black shield-shaped Duel Disk resting on his left arm before looking into Daichi's blue eyes, which seemed to pierce right through his glasses and stare right into her soul with their gaze. Admittedly, she was disconcerted by the appearance of the man, but if what she had heard was true, he was just the person she needed to help Reizo with his… problem.

"You claim you have the ability to alter memories?" Himika asked, deciding to get right down to business.

Daichi smiled at this before bowing his head apologetically.

"Much of what you ask is largely theoretical," he explained. "The human mind is far more complex than your average computer. It is not as simple as deleting a few memory files and installing a new flash-drive into the computer's software."

"But it can be done, correct?" Himika interrogated, hoping Daichi was not going to end up being a waste of time.

Daichi nodded his head, keeping his intelligent eyes fixed unblinkingly on Himika. "My associates and I are at work as we speak on certain special devices capable of performing procedures analogous to the process I described earlier, based, in part, on the memory retrieval technology Professor Akaba introduced to my home dimension."

Himika winced at the mention of her husband, but did not let herself dwell on the painful thoughts that began flooding her mind.

"And?" she questioned, "Is the technology ready?"

"It is not," Daichi replied simply. "The interfacing system has yet to be perfected. However, there is an alternate method."

Himika eyed the scientist, disappointed that the technology she had heard about was not actually in existence at the time. "And what is this, 'alternate method,' you speak of?" she asked, "Can it work? Is it safe?"

"Entirely safe," Daichi replied, smiling with a gentle enigmatic smile. "Not one neuron of the subject's brain will be harmed, and while it will require several sessions, my personal hypothesis is that the final results of my procedure will produce longer lasting and far more stable changes in the subject's memories than the proposed crude methods of Academia's machines.

"You are certain?" Himika questioned.

"Entirely," Daichi replied with confidence.

Himika indicated a chair opposite her own, inviting Daichi to sit down while she took her own seat. Bowing his head politely, Daichi gently lowered himself into the chair, removing his hat as he did and gently placing it on his lap while keeping his intense gaze directed at Himika. Once they had both settled in their seats, Himika continued with her interview.

"You have not given me specific details regarding your… method," Himika began, looking through some notes on her desk. "Only that it involves elements of behavior modification and the use of a certain psychoactive drug of your own making. Please explain to me how this is going to work."

"The process will be entirely painless, harmless, and one-hundred percent effective in enacting the desired changes in the subject," Daichi explained. "To use layman's terms, essentially, what you need to understand is the fact that long-term memory is not as static and stable as most people think. Instead, in order for the mind to maintain the various memories stored in long-term memory, memories go through a process called reconsolidation, which acts to renew and strengthen the associations between one's memories and the feelings, thoughts, and impulses associated with said memories."

"And what does this have to do with Reizo?" Himika asked.

"This reconsolidation process works to strengthen and preserve memories, but it is also the point at which memories are at their most plastic state," Daichi calmly explained. "Essentially, my method exploits this reconsolidation process by stimulating a reconsolidation, blocking certain brain chemicals with my drug when the reconsolidation process is taking place, and then proceeding to bind revised memories to the various feelings, impulses, and thoughts associated with the previous memories. The subject's own brain then does the rest of the work, assimilating the new memories into long-term memory and gradually strengthening the new memories through the very same process which enabled the new memories to be introduced in the first place."

Himika eyed Daichi, not sure if she trusted what he had just said, and admittedly, not really understanding most of what he had explained to her. Still, Reizo needed this. If there was even a sliver of hope he could be cured, then she would take it. She would do whatever it took to keep her family intact.

"And you are certain…" she asked, "…you are certain this really works?"

Daichi nodded his head. "I have sent you my statistics. I have tested my method in over one-thousand human subjects of different backgrounds and ethnicities and tens of thousands of animal subjects. Without variation, all of them have successfully integrated and maintained the new memories. While this does not guarantee with one-hundred percent certainty that Reizo will be a successful case, the fact that he is so young, and therefore has such a malleable brain, means that the likelihood of success with absolutely no harm done to him is exceedingly high. Whether or not Reizo undergoes this method, however, is entirely up to you."

Himika took a moment to ponder Daichi's words, weighing her options and the risks associated with those options. Finally, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh, she nodded her head before asking, "What do you need to make this work, and how much will it cost?"

"As to the second question…" Daichi replied, keeping his gaze fixed on Himika, "…nothing."

Himika blinked at the unexpected response. "Nothing?" she asked.

"Nothing," he repeated, expression remaining unchanged.

"You can't be serious." Himika exclaimed, knowing that there had to be a catch somewhere.

Daichi blinked for what seemed to be the first time during the meeting before closing his eyes and slowly shaking his head with a sigh.

"I have no interest in material things," he explained, smiling enigmatically. "I only bother with money in so far as it enables me to continue my work, Miss Akaba. My desires are and always have been aimed at purely intellectual pursuits. I wish to perform this procedure purely for the intellectual knowledge I shall acquire from the operation and for no other reason. That is my price, Miss Akaba. That I obtain new knowledge from this exercise."

"But you need money to conduct research!" Himika protested, gawking at Daichi with utter incredulity. "Without any funding you'll—"

Daichi held up a hand, silencing Himika in her protestations. "The grants Academia provides supplies me with all the funding I need," he curtly replied. "Now as to your first question, the only things I need from you are your permission, which you have all but given to me, time alone with Reizo, and for you to answer this question: what is Reizo's favorite drink?"

Himika blinked at Daichi, growing more confused by the minute. "Favorite… drink?" she repeated, utterly flabbergasted.

"Precisely," Daichi replied, patiently gazing back at Himika.

Himika thought for a moment before shaking her head. "Milk?" she replied, the tone of her reply making it more of a question than an answer to Daichi's question.

"Chocolate, strawberry, or regular?" Daichi pressed.

"Regular, I think," Himika replied, wondering if it really mattered that much. Truth be told, it had never occurred to her to keep tabs on what flavors of milk Reizo particularly enjoyed, though she couldn't remember ever getting him strawberry.

Her answer, however, seemed to please Daichi, who rose up into his chair before taking her hand in his own.

"Arigato, Miss Akaba," Daichi said with a smile, "You have been most helpful to me. Now then…" he continued, leaning forward, "…when shall we schedule our first appointment?"

* * *

 **A/N: …And this is just** _ **part one**_ **! Part two'll come out on Saturday with the next chapter of "Rebirth"!**

 **Make sure that you guys thank Donjusticia for this if you're thinking of dropping a review! And if you're Donjusticia reviewing this, give yourself a pat on the back for this amazing piece of writing!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 _ **(I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V**_ **,** _ **Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion**_ **, or Daichi Ishikuma.)**


	3. 3: Cranes and Cards

**A/N: Here is the next part, as promised! It ended up a lot longer than I expected, so there's actually going to be a third part to this.**

 **Once again, most of this was Donjusticia's work. I had to modify a few things again to fit my headcanons or, you know, Code Geass** _ **canon**_ **, but yeah. Go thank him a bunch for this.**

 **Also. For the record, Reizo is ~4 years old in this. Might not have been clear enough last chapter.**

 **A/N from Donjusticia: Hello readers, I would just like to say thank you for your continued support for both myself and Shimmering-Sky. It was a true delight to write this chapter and work with an exceedingly talented author. Thank you Shimmering-Sky for putting up with my lack of fan-knowledge and for patiently taking the time to give me the "Code Geass" info I needed to make this chapter work. May you all enjoy this chapter and** _ **not**_ **forget to acknowledge the** _ **enormous**_ **role Shimmering-Sky has played in bringing about the masterpiece that is "Code-V: Rebirth" and "Code-V: Recollections."**

* * *

 **Cranes and Cards**

Reizo fidgeted nervously as Himika held him on her lap. She had told him earlier that day that a nice man would be coming to visit him today and that he should do exactly what the man said. She had told him that he had lots of fun activities planned for him and that Reizo would enjoy their time together.

But Reizo knew what was _really_ going on. Reiji had said it himself at the breakfast table. "He's a doctor," his brother had said, casually taking a sip of his juice.

That declaration had filled Reizo with dread. He knew _exactly_ what doctors did. Whenever you went to a doctor, you _always_ hurt afterwards. Special doctors called dentists would fiddle around with your teeth, others would hit your knees with hammers, and the worst ones… Reizo shuddered at the thought… they stuck needles into your arm and pretended to be helping you. His mother had already taken him to one like that to treat what she called his "delusions", and he _hated_ that person.

"I don't need a doctor!" Reizo whined, squirming in his mother's grasp, "I feel fine!"

"Hush, Reizo!" Himika commanded, squeezing him tighter, "It'll be alright! I told you that! And for the last time, stop squirming so much, it's impolite!"

But Reizo couldn't stop squirming. How could he? Even if his mom gave him a time-out and took away his arts-and-crafts supplies, which he mainly used to make origami cranes, then it couldn't compare to whatever the doctor would do to him. Nervously wiggling his body around almost involuntarily, despite the constant reprimands and warnings from his mother, Reizo continued his struggling until a knock at the door froze him in place.

"Enter!" Himika called, slamming Reizo's arms down to his side and plastering a fake smile onto her flustered face.

When the man entered the room, Reizo's mouth visibly dropped and his eyes widened with horror. He had seen villains in some of the cartoons he watched dressed exactly like this man was, in sinister black clothing and wearing shiny black mad scientist gloves. He was even carrying the same black suitcase some of those guys carried. This guy was worse than a doctor! He was the kind of guy that didn't even try to make people feel better. He was the kind of guy who would turn people into monsters, or shrink them down to the size of an ant, or send electricity through a dead body and make a zombie. How could his mom not know any better?!

"Good morning, Reizo," said Daichi, extending his hand towards Reizo, "I am Daichi, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The boy just stared at the hand, regarding it in the same way he would a steel bear-trap, until his mother discreetly tightened her grip on him, prompting him to nervously shake Daichi's hand for barely a second before quickly pulling his own hand back and trying his hardest to hide in his mother's arms.

Daichi seemed unfazed by the boy's rejection. Instead, maintaining his same polite smile, he nodded to Himika before saying, "You may leave, Miss Akaba. This first session shouldn't be more than ten minutes."

Reizo looked up at Himika, gripping her sleeves, his eyes wide as if pleading with her to stay. Himika looked down at Reizo, hesitating for just a moment, before she gently removed her son's tiny hands from her sleeves. She nodded at Daichi and set her son down on his bed before she exited the room, leaving Reizo completely alone with the strange man.

The dark-haired boy sat in his bed, nervously gripping the bed sheets and bracing himself for whatever the man would do. There wasn't much else he could do. His first instinct would have been to hide, but Daichi already knew where he was, and he couldn't just run away. Daichi was standing right in front of the door of his bedroom, and he had heard his mom lock the door from the other side.

Fortunately, rather than advance on him, Daichi slowly sat down in a colorful kid chair three sizes too small for him in front of a small round coffee table Reizo had been using for his arts and crafts projects. Opening his large black suitcase, Daichi proceeded to produce a stack of colorful pieces of paper, crayons, glue, scissors, and a strange hat that looked like a fluffy smiling polar bear head with two paws each holding a pair of rubber tubes which connected into a single drinking straw, a hat similar to the kind of hat Reizo had sometimes seen at sporting events.

Pushing the stack of paper towards Reizo, Daichi motioned for Reizo to approach the table.

"Your mother tells me that you are very much into arts and crafts," Daichi explained, taking a single piece of paper and folding it in different ways. "I thought we could spend the first five minutes just getting to know each other by sharing some of our artworks with each other."

Reizo stayed firmly rooted to the bed, trying to figure out what the trap was. None of what Daichi had put on the table seemed harmless, but he couldn't be sure. For all he knew, the colored paper he was offering him could be covered with acid that would burn off his hands the second he touched them, or worse.

Daichi, however, didn't seem to be bothered by Reizo's rejection. He seemed instead to be suddenly and completely absorbed in his work, folding the little piece of paper in different ways. With a final fold to the delicate piece of paper, Daichi smiled to himself before setting his creation down, a small brown origami crane.

Reizo blinked at the creation as Daichi took out another sheet of paper and began folding it in a similar pattern. Hesitantly, Reizo asked, "You like… paper cranes?"

Daichi looked up from his work and smiled a warm gentle smile at Reizo. "I do indeed, Reizo." He held out his first creation as if offering it to Reizo. "Do you like them too?"

Reizo stared at Daichi, then down at the crane he was offering him. He took a few timid steps towards Daichi before reaching out his hand and gingerly picking up the delicate paper creation, admiring its beauty.

"You have very good taste in art." Daichi praised, nodding at Reizo as he examined his work. "Tell me, what do you think of my crane? Did I do a good job?"

Reizo squinted at the crane, examining it carefully like a professional connoisseur. "The beak's a little long," he said, setting the crane down. "It should be shorter, not like a giraffe's neck. And the wings aren't the same size."

"Oh?" Daichi replied, raising his eyebrows, "Could you show me how to do it right?"

Reizo nodded before taking a green piece of paper and beginning to expertly fold it. In half a minute, he had already managed to make a paper crane similar to Daichi's, but with a beak more proportional to the beak of an actual crane, and the wings the same size.

Daichi smiled and clapped his hands with approval. "Excellent job, Reizo!" he enthused. "What else can you do?"

Despite his earlier apprehension, Reizo smiled at the praise. At any rate, he told himself, Daichi couldn't hurt him if he was just teaching the man how to make origami. Maybe he could even distract Daichi long enough for him to forget why he came there.

Smiling at his own cleverness, Reizo proceeded to show Daichi how to make more origami figures, from butterflies to fish to stars and even a big sunburst. Gradually, as Daichi consistently praised and strove to copy what Reizo had done, Reizo began to warm up to Daichi, who now didn't seem half as bad as what he had originally thought. At least he hadn't tried to stick him with a needle yet. Why couldn't all doctors be like him?

"You're very good at what you do." Daichi praised, holding up one of Reizo's figures. "Did anyone teach you how to make such origami figures?"

Reizo thought for a moment after hearing Daichi's question. Gradually, the figure of a little girl with brown hair appeared in his head. She was sitting in a wheelchair, folding bits of paper together into the exact same cranes Reizo had created earlier. His head hurt a little thinking about her, and he frowned. "My little sister," he muttered to himself. "Nunnally made cranes all the time 'cause Sayoko told her that if you folded a thousand of 'em, you got your wish granted. She, she wanted a peaceful world."

He looked up at Daichi, wondering how he would respond. Normally, if he brought up the subject of Nunnally, then either his mother would get mad or his brother would ignore him. Daichi, however, showed neither of these emotions.

"She sounds like a good person," Daichi observed, smiling warmly at Reizo.

"She is," Reizo replied, letting a small smile creep onto his lips. Nobody had ever responded like that to him when he talked about the other people he saw. Finally, after so long, he had found someone willing to listen. "She's the gentlest person _ever_."

After about eight more minutes of talking about the people from the other world and making origami figures, Reizo's eyes finally fell on the strange hat Daichi had placed on the table. "Daichi… what's that?" Reizo asked, curiosity growing.

Daichi smiled before picking up the hat. "This…" he held up the polar-bear head, "…is Mister Sippy."

"Mister Sippy?" Reizo asked.

"Mmmmhmmm." Daichi nodded.

"Who's Mister Sippy?" Reizo pressed, growing more curious by the second.

"Mister Sippy likes to sip things." Daichi explained, handing the hat over to Reizo, who took it and began feeling the soft fur of the polar bear. "He sits on people's heads, sipping his drinks, and sometimes, when he's in a good mood, he likes to share what he's sipping with others."

"Really?" Reizo asked, wondering what Mister Sippy was sipping at the moment.

"Yep." Daichi replied, shaking his head, "yes."

"What's he sipping right now?" Reizo asked, shaking the hat a bit and hearing a sloshing sound inside two compartments on the side.

"Would you like to see?" Daichi asked.

Reizo thought for a moment, stroking the fur of the polar bear as he did before replying. "I guess… but not if it's something gross."

"Oh don't worry." Daichi enthused. "Mr. Sippy only sips good things, and if he's in a good mood, he might let you sip it as well."

"How can we tell if he's in a good mood?" Reizo asked, examining the polar bear's face.

"Let's put him on your head and find out." Daichi instructed, indicating for Reizo to place the cap on his head.

Reizo did so, the warm fur of the cap tickling his ears, but in a good way. Patting the polar bear down on his head, Reizo then followed the rest of Daichi's instructions as he told him how to position the rubber tubes and how to put the straw into his mouth.

"Like this?" Reizo mumbled as he sucked on the end of the rubber straw.

"Exactly like that." Daichi congratulated. "Now then, we're going to play a little game." He pulled out a device that looked like a small flashlight and a second device that looked like a remote control shaped like a polar bear sipping from a coconut. Handing Reizo the remote control, Daichi kept the small flashlight for himself. "This little light…" Daichi explained, "…is going to tell us when Mister Sippy is in a good mood. When you see a blue light, that means you can push the coconut on your remote and take a little sip of what Mister Sippy is sipping. Let's try that now." He pressed a button on the flashlight, causing a blue light to appear.

Immediately, Reizo pushed down on the coconut of the remote and heard a small slurping sound emanate from the polar bear resting on his head. Slurping through the rubber straw, Reizo was surprised to taste a little milk.

"Good job Reizo!" Daichi applauded. "You really learn fast. Let's keep watching for the blue light so we can see when Mister Sippy is in a good mood. But be careful!" he warned, "Sometimes Mister Sippy will try to trick you with a red light. If you see a red light, or no light at all, those both mean he is _not_ in a good mood. So only press the coconut when you see a blue light."

"Okay," Reizo agreed, bracing himself for when the blue light showed up again. Daichi proceeded to occasionally press the buttons of the flashlight, causing either a blue light or a red light to appear. Occasionally, Reizo made a mistake, either by pressing the coconut when the red light appeared, or hesitating too long when the blue light appeared, but most of the time, he was able to press the coconut at the right time and receive a sip of sweet milk as his reward.

"Well good job," Daichi eventually declared. "You really are a very clever boy. Unfortunately, I've long since passed the ten minutes I told your mother this would take. It's time for me to go now, but we'll see each other tomorrow."

"Is it really time for you to go?!" Reizo protested, surprised to see that despite being scared of Daichi when he first showed up, he now didn't want him to leave.

"Sadly…" Daichi sighed, packing up his things, including Mister Sippy, which Reizo reluctantly handed over, "… it is. But I will be back. And so will Mister Sippy."

Daichi shook Reizo's hand before proceeding to place his bowler hat back on his head and walk out the door. Before he could leave, Reizo suddenly called out, "Wait!"

Daichi stopped mid-step, turning around to face Reizo.

"Can Mr. Sippy have fruit punch next time?" Reizo asked.

Daichi bowed his head, smiling even wider than he ever had during their first meeting together. "Of course Reizo! Whatever you would like!"

* * *

The days went by in a similar manner with Daichi. Daichi would bring Mister Sippy, which would be holding the drink Reizo had requested from the previous day, and they would do various activities together, talking about Reizo's friends from the other world, drawing pictures, doing more origami, and playing with clay. Through all these activities, Reizo would be constantly watching Daichi for a blink from the blue light, so he could press the coconut and take a drink from Mister Sippy. He had gradually learned that a blink from the blue light generally came after Daichi offered him praise for one of his accomplishments, and that those often came when he talked about his friends from the other world. So Reizo had started talking to Daichi a lot more about the other world. It was a relief to be able to speak with Daichi about it. There was nobody else who would listen with such enraptured attention. Daichi would even take notes about what he said and ask him questions about what he had just told him. Slowly but surely, Daichi was starting to become one of Reizo's best friends.

His brother, however, didn't seem to agree.

"I don't like him," Reiji said after one of Reizo's sessions with him. "What's he doing with you anyway?"

"He just hangs out with me," Reizo answered cheerfully. "He's really nice. He listens to what I say and doesn't _ignore_ me."

"I don't _ignore_ you," Reiji replied, looking a little upset.

The younger brother frowned. "But you never listen to me, and you don't play with me either… isn't that what 'ignore' means?"

That had caused Reiji to go silent for several moments before he left without saying another word. That had upset Reizo quite a bit, but he didn't let it bother him. As much as he hated to admit it, he was gradually looking forward to hanging out with Daichi more than he was his own older brother.

On one of his sessions, Daichi proposed a new activity.

"I've heard you are into Dueling." Daichi had explained, showing Reizo his own Deck and Duel Disk. "Would you like to play a game?"

Not wanting to upset Daichi, Reizo went to take out his cards. Daichi was _wrong_ about him liking Dueling, he really hated it, but his mother had forced him to learn and his brother—well, Dueling was one of the few things they actually did together. Just as he was about to put them on the table, he stopped, remembering what his brother had said.

"Daichi…" he asked, "…what are you doing here? My mom says you're a doctor, but you don't really act like one. Mostly you've just been playing with me. Is this somehow supposed to cure me of something?"

Daichi smiled back at Reizo. "I'm glad you asked that question," he said. "I'm a special kind of doctor who gives special kinds of medicine to my patients. Right now, with this Duel, I'm giving you that special kind of medicine."

"How can a Duel be medicine?" Reizo asked, looking incredulously at Daichi.

Daichi pulled out some cards from his Deck and showed them to Reizo who took them in his hands. On each of the cards was a blot of ink, five of them with black ink-blots, two with black-and-red ink blots, and three with multi-colored ink blots. All of them were arranged in different symmetrical patterns. Some of the ink blots resembled bats, others butterflies, and still others resembled hands or human faces.

"One of the things I wish to do, Reizo, is come to know you." Daichi explained. "It is my personal belief that Dueling is one of the most efficient ways to come to know fellow Duelists. There are some tiny little problems you have that you aren't even aware you have, but we are well on the way to curing them. And by Dueling each other, I'll be able to figure out exactly how to cure you."

"Really?" Reizo asked, wondering what could be wrong with him. He was perfectly fine, wasn't he?

"Indeed." Daichi replied, taking his cards back before Reizo pulled out his own Deck and set them on the table. "But unlike most medicines which are icky or painful, my medicine is fun."

Reizo forced a smile back at Daichi, amazed that there really could be such a fun medicine—well, fun for _other_ people. It was really cool to think that Daichi could cure people with fun games and activities. He was probably the biggest genius in the world. If only _he_ didn't have to Duel…

"Ready to play?" Daichi asked, swinging around Reizo so that he was sitting just behind the boy, positioning himself so that he couldn't see Reizo's hand while keeping his own hand concealed.

"Yeah," Reizo replied, "but I'm not that good. I still haven't figured out how to Synchro, Xyz, or Fusion summon." More like, he'd always skipped his lessons on those, or zoned out during them because he really wasn't interested.

"That's okay," Daichi reassured him. "I'm not really that good either. Just focus on what you do know and you will do very well. May I go first?" he asked as he drew his opening hand.

"Sure." Reizo shrugged, noticing Daichi flash the blue light on his flashlight. Pressing down on the coconut of the remote, Reizo took a drink from Mister Sippy as Daichi began his move.

"I Summon the Level one monster, _Psychic Ink Figure Four_ in Defense Mode," Daichi began, placing a card in front of Reizo on the table.

 _ **Psychic Ink Figure Four**_ **: DARK Psychic-Type / Level 1 / 0 ATK / 0 DEF**

Reizo stared at the ink-blot on Daichi's card, which looked vaguely like a hooded man with short arms, or a stretched-out animal skin depending on how he looked at it.

" _Psychic Ink Figure Four's_ effect activates when it is Normal Summoned," Daichi explained. "When it is Summoned, you get to add one Spell Card from your Deck so long as you reveal that card to me. So tell me, Reizo…" Daichi asked, whispering behind Reizo's ear, "…what is it you see?"

Reizo stared down at Daichi's monster, wondering which Spell Card he should choose. Gradually, as his gaze lingered on the ink blot, the figure seemed to slowly shift into the figure of an individual Reizo suddenly recognized on one of his Spell Cards.

Nodding to himself, Reizo, skimmed through the cards in his Deck before finding the card he wanted.

"I add the Field Spell _The Gates of Dark World_ to my hand," he declared, showing it to Daichi before holding it up next to the inkblot. Sure enough, as Reizo looked at it, he noticed that the figure standing before the gates on his Spell and the figure on Daichi's card did indeed match.

"That's an important card to you, isn't it." Daichi observed with a smile.

"It is." Reizo agreed. "My 'Dark World' monsters do a lot better if they're in their own world." He might not like Dueling, but he at least liked his own cards.

"I would agree." Daichi enthused. " _The Gates of Dark World_ represent the ability to cross over into a world entirely different from our own. Without that card, the 'Dark World' monsters would be lost, unable to enter their own world."

Daichi blinked the blue light on the flashlight and Reizo took a quick drink from Mister Sippy, who was carrying lemonade today.

"The rest of my monster's effect is applied." Daichi explained. "You now have the option of either shuffling the card back into your Deck or giving the Spell Card to me. However, while my monster is face-up on the field, you cannot activate cards with the same name as the card you revealed to me. So, Reizo, which do you choose?"

Reizo thought over the question for a minute. He didn't really want to shuffle _The Gates of Dark World_ into his Deck after he had just got it, but then again, he wouldn't be able to use it at all if he gave it to Daichi. "I'll shuffle it into my Deck." Reizo sighed, putting the card in the middle of his Deck and rearranging the cards.

"A wise decision." Daichi agreed, blinking the blue light and allowing Reizo to take another drink from Mister Sippy. "With this, I end my turn." He declared. "Now then, Reizo, let's see if you can figure out how to beat me."

Reizo drew a card before looking through his hand, thinking deeply. Daichi didn't really have a powerful monster, he could beat it with just about anything he had in his hand, but Reizo wanted to impress Daichi. It would be one thing to beat his monster, it would be another thing to beat him in just one turn. But how would he manage to do that?

In his hand he had _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_ , _Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World_ , _Dark World Lightning_ , _Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World_ , _Dark World Dealings_ , and _Axe of Despair_. Remembering a combo Reiji had taught him when he had first bought the Deck for him, Reizo nodded to himself before beginning his turn. He didn't know if it would work, but if he could manage to get The Gates of Dark World, he could win.

"I activate _Dark World Dealings_!" Reizo declared, earning a nod of approval from Daichi and another sip of drink from Mister Sippy. "Now we both draw one card before discarding another card from our hands.

"I draw, and then discard _Psychic Ink Figure One_." Daichi declared, placing one of his monsters in the Graveyard.

"It all comes down to this…" Reizo said to himself, "…it depends on whether or not I can get that card. DRAW!" he declared, pulling a card from the top of his Deck. To his delight, he had done it. "I discard _Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World_ and activate its effect!" Reizo declared. "I destroy _Psychic Ink Figure Four_!"

Smiling with approval, Daichi removed his card from the table before placing it in the discard pile. "Well done, Reizo," he enthused, flashing the blue light again, "I'm now wide open for an attack, and it was all thanks to a special deal _Grapha_ made with the 'Dark World'."

"Yep." Reizo agreed. "Thanks to the deal, _Grapha_ can now become the true king of the Dark World."

"Somewhat like the Geass you told me about." Daichi observed.

Reizo paused as he considered Daichi's words. He had never thought about it that way before, but now that he did, it made perfect sense. There really did seem to be a parallel between the Geass he had seen in his memories and his own _Dark World Dealings_ card. Scratching his head, Reizo began looking at his other cards, wondering if they could also have a connection with the people and places he had seen from the other world.

"I Summon _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_ ," Reizo continued, placing his card on the table.

 _ **Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type Level 4 / 100 ATK / 2100 DEF**

" _Renge_ may not look like much, but he is the key to my victory." Reizo explained. "By returning him to my hand, I can resurrect _Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World_."

Daichi clapped his hands with delight as Reizo returned his monster to the hand before summoning _Grapha_ to his field.

 _ **Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type / Level 8 / 2700 ATK / 1800 DEF**

"Most excellent work!" Daichi congratulated, flashing the blue light again. "And it is so appropriate! _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_ may be considered weak or fragile by those foolish enough to only look at its stats, but it possesses a special power. It acts as the means whereby _Grapha_ can do the impossible, as the gatekeeper for opening the door to a new realm of possibility. It reminds me of someone you described. A young woman if I recall, who could bring about such miracles despite her fragile and helpless appearance. What was her name again?"

Reizo thought for a moment before a memory flashed into his head, of a green-haired woman with a bright wing-shaped mark glowing on her forehead. "C.C.?" Reizo asked, peering at _Renge_ and feeling a strange connection between the card and the woman in his memory.

"Yes," Daichi agreed. "That's the one. And just like she helped bring about the reign of the 99th emperor of Britannia, it would seem your _Renge_ has brought about the reign of the true king of the Dark World."

Reizo paused and looked at his dragon, suddenly realizing something Daichi was getting at. He had never thought of his cards this way before, but he was beginning to see a connection between them and his thoughts of the people from the other world. Gazing into the demonic eyes of the true king of the Dark World, Reizo muttered a single word as a memory surfaced to his head. "Charles," he muttered. His father—no, wait, Akaba Leo was his father, wasn't he?

"Indeed." Daichi agreed. "It would seem your _Grapha_ is indeed an embodiment of everything Charles zi Britannia stood for."

Reizo stared down at the dragon, suddenly filled with an inexplicable rage for the card. Gradually, he stopped seeing the figure of _Grapha_ , and instead began seeing the image of Charles, an elderly king with long white hair and a short white beard. He remembered the man sitting in his throne as he exiled Lelouch and Nunnally so soon after their mother's death, absolutely not caring about either of his own children. He remembered the Britannian forces that had razed Japan so soon after he and Nunnally had been sent there, no doubt an attempt to kill them in the crossfire. He remembered Charles declaring his plan to create a stagnant world with the Ragnarök Connection—as justification for all of the lives he had ended, because the dead and the living would both exist in that stagnant world.

Reizo clenched his fist, tears almost welling up beneath his eyelids. _Grapha_ was the ace of his Deck. The card would let him win the duel. He didn't want to believe that it was somehow connected to… to… to _that_ man. But as he gazed upon it, the parallels made _way_ too much sense.

 _You can Special Summon this card (from your Graveyard) by returning one Dark World monster you control to your hand…_

Charles had made a contract with V.V. in order to create a world without lies. His Geass had evolved to the point where he could take his brother's Code whenever he had wanted to, and he had, because Lelouch had ended up accidentally stealing that Code from his father as he ended the Ragnarök Connection.

… _If this card is discarded to the graveyard by a card effect: Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target…_

Images of the Britannian army crowded Reizo's mind. Destruction… a single word which aptly described the actions of both _Grapha_ and Charles.

… _then, if this card was discarded to the graveyard by a card effect, look at one random card in your opponent's hand, then, if it is a monster, you can Special Summon it to your side of the field._

Charles' Geass power, the ability to alter people's memories, effectively bending them to his will. He'd used that power on Lelouch at least twice—and it was the power that made Nunnally blind for over seven years.

 _Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World_. Charles zi Britannia. Two names, the same entity.

All of Reizo's plans had gone up in smoke. He could easily defeat Daichi using _Grapha_ , but…

He saw his father again, erasing his memories to force him to aid Britannia. He wouldn't be like that… he _couldn't_ be like that! But what could he do? There was literally nothing in his hand that could help him stop _Grapha_.

"I end my turn," said Reizo, looking resentfully at his hand.

"Really?" Daichi asked. "Interesting. Well then… let's see here…" He plucked a card from the top of his Deck, looked through the cards in his hand, and then sighed. "Ah well… that's sad. It looks like I don't have any good cards in my hand. So I'll end my turn right here."

"My turn…" Reizo began, "…draw!" He looked at the card in his hand and groaned to himself. Another _Dark World Lightning_ , something that was completely useless to him now. If only there was some way he could get rid of _Grapha_ and beat Daichi, but there was nothing in his hand that could help him now.

"Remember…" Daichi whispered behind Reizo, "…these are only cards. Any secondary significance they have is only because we willfully attach significance to them."

Reizo turned around, looking at Daichi who patiently waited for Reizo to continue his turn, smiling as he did so. Exhaling slowly, Reizo tried to block out the thoughts of Charles and just focus on _Grapha_ as nothing but a big black scaly dragon card. He still didn't like it, but Daichi was right. It was just a card. And admittedly, it was a very good card. A card that could help him win.

"I activate the Spell _Terraforming_." Reizo declared, voice monotone as he played the card he had drawn thanks to _Dark World Dealings_. "This card allows me to add _The Gates of Dark World_ from my Deck to my hand which I will now activate."

He placed the card on the table, thoughts of a strange world filling his mind. Blinking away the thoughts, Reizo attempted to continue his turn.

"Keep going." Daichi encouraged, blinking the blue light and prompting Reizo to take a soothing drink of milk from Mister Sippy. "You are almost there. Just don't give up. Don't let the miscellaneous thoughts distract you."

Reizo nodded at Daichi's words, taking some comfort in what he said.

"I then activate the Equip Spell _Axe of Despair_ , and equip it to Grapha," Reizo continued, struggling to block out visions of Knightmare Frames slaughtering innocent Japanese while he could do nothing but hide and watch..

" _Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World_ …" Reizo said through clenched teeth, hating himself for having to use a card that made him think of Charles, "…direct attack!"

He gasped after ordering the attack. It was too much for him. Suddenly, his mind was carried up into a stream of thought. He, he himself had been just like Charles. He'd taken over the world through the use of his own Geass and through capturing Damocles, which held all of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads, threatening to unleash them on any country that dared rebel against his power. He'd done that with a purpose, but…!

Through the fog of his memories, he suddenly heard Daichi's voice. "Reizo… Reizo?" Daichi called, snapping his gloved fingers in front of Reizo's face.

Reizo blinked in confusion, steadily coming back to reality. "Wha—what happened?" he asked, feeling somewhat dazed.

"You won." Daichi gave Reizo a congratulatory pat on the back.

Reizo stared back at Daichi, who looked like he had just received the best birthday present of his life. "Did I really… did I really win?" Reizo asked, trying to remember what had been going on. He couldn't, his head was just too foggy.

"You did indeed, Reizo," Daichi replied, placing a notepad in one of his coat-pockets. "And you have been exceedingly helpful to me. You may not know it yet, but we are well on the way to curing you. I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye…" Reizo replied, still trying to figure out what had just happened as Daichi took Mister Sippy from Reizo, packed up his suitcase, and left the room.

* * *

Daichi and Reizo were now Dueling with every session. Mr. Sippy would always be there, filled with Reizo's drink request from the previous day, but now Daichi was only pressing the blue button if Reizo made a good move while he Dueled.

The Duels were steadily growing more challenging as Daichi figured out more of Reizo's Deck. Reizo still always managed to win, but he had to be more clever with his strategies in order to counter Daichi's various plays, especially considering the fact that he had decided to not use _Grapha_ unless utterly and absolutely necessary. To that end, he'd finally quit his stubbornness when it came to learning about the game, and let Reiji show him the basics of Xyz, Synchro, and Fusion Summoning so Reizo could do better. Daichi had always been impressed with the effort Reizo was showing, and would be quick to reward his efforts, something Reizo had appreciated, but truth be told, there was another reason he was beginning to crave improving his dueling skills.

Daichi had helped him see something, something Reizo thought he had always known but had never really noticed until then. Every one of this cards had a connection with the people from the other world. Daichi had sometimes suggested associations to him as they engaged in their various duels against each other, but most of the time, Reizo had been able to make connections which completely baffled both his mother and brother when he shared them with them.

" _Brron, Mad King of Dark World_ is that… Euphemia girl you talked about?" Himika asked, a completely confused expression on her face. "How does that work?"

"It just does." Reizo shrugged. "It feels right."

"I see…" she had replied, "… and what are your thoughts on this, Dr. Ishikuma?" she had asked, fixing him with a venomous glare.

"I believe we are learning precisely how Reizo's beautiful mind works," Daichi had replied with confidence. With that knowledge, I can perform the cure we spoke of."

At night, when everyone else was asleep, Reizo would look through the cards in his Deck, flashlight shining in the darkness as he thought about who or what they each represented. " _Balak_ – Suzaku…" he whispered, writing some notes in a journal. "… _Brron_ – Euphemia, _Greyy_ – Nunnally, _Reign-Beaux_ – Schneizel, _Renge_ – C.C., _Snoww_ – Marianne, _Zure_ – Zero…" he paused when he saw the next card. "… _Colorless_ – Lelouch vi Britannia."

He continued going through the cards, thinking about what the connection between the cards and the people he remembered meant. Three of the cards, _Gren_ , _Zure_ , and _Colorless_ , had stood out to him. " _Gren_ – Lelouch Lamperouge…" he repeated to himself, " _Zure_ – Zero, _Colorless_ – Lelouch vi Britannia." He held them up to his face, wondering how they could be connected, while somehow knowing that they were, before taking out the last card from his Deck.

" _The Gates of Dark World_ ," he muttered to himself.

He closed his eyes, thinking back on the world he had seen. It was a strange world, and yet, somehow, he knew it was real.

"Tomorrow…" he muttered to himself, "…I'll ask Daichi what it means.

* * *

 **A/N: Donjusticia just did a really good job with this, didn't he? I certainly wouldn't have done any good at all if I'd tried writing this.**

 **Please drop a review, and I'll pass your regards on to the great and mighty Donjusticia.**

 **Oh, and you want a behind-the-scenes look at the makings of next chapter? Wait until after Daichi's card's details, I** _ **GUARANTEE**_ **you will laugh.**

 _ **(I don't own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, or Daichi Ishikuma and his cards.)**_

 **A/N from Donjusticia: So yes. As you can all see, I am completely and irredeemably insane.**

* * *

 **Card in this:**

 _Psychic Ink Figure 4_

DARK Psychic/Effect

Level 1

Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, your opponent adds 1 Spell Card from his/her Deck to his/her hand and reveals it: Your opponent then chooses to activate 1 of the following effects.  
1\. Add the revealed card to your opponent's hand.  
2\. Shuffle the revealed card into your Deck.  
Your opponent cannot activate cards with the revealed card's name while this card is face-up on the field.

0 ATK

0 DEF

* * *

 _(So, the next chapter includes another Duel. In the midst of that, Donjusticia provides a comment that pisses off my muse Faith. And if you don't know what that means, basically Faith is the hardcore shipper side of myself. I ship Shirlulu.)_

Donjusticia sends: "" _Come forth, Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World!"_ (Yep, that's right, I ship Lelouch and Kallen together, so I figured I'd put them [meaning _Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World_ and _Amethyss_ ] together in this duel. Also, insert description here.)"

I send a normal response about the entire lengthy thing, then: "(ALSO NOOOO YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SHIP SHIRLULU NOT KALULU!)"

In the next PM, Donjusticia does not respond to that comment, so after I reply again normally to everything else, I add: "Also you never explained why you DARE to ship Kalulu over Shirlulu."

He responds: "What can I say? Her card form has way more powerful stats. Now you're probably gonna make a synchro monster named _Mega-Ultra-Turbo Oppal, Colorless Chaos King's True Lover of Dark World._ ;)"

I didn't even acknowledge the… card, I responded to the first part with: "That is literally one of the least valid reasonings for shipping Kalulu."

He replies: "Hey, it's the only reason I've got. I _still_ need to make time to watch Code Geass. But thanks for being patient with my lack of fan knowledge."

And I go: "It's still not a reason."

So he says: "Tell you what, I'll make some time to watch "Code Geass" and then I'll give you my honest opinion."

Faith's pretty active now, so I say: "You better ship Shirlulu to at least some degree or else Faith will likely try to murder you slowly and painfully."

Donjusticia… decides to be an idiot. He says: "Hey Faith, on "Signs of Renewal," Jack hates Carly and decides to marry Melissa Clair instead, Yuya dates Mieru, Noboru marries Rin for no reason, Ruri maries Captain Solo, Yuto hooks up with Masumi, Yuzu remains a lonely spinster for the rest of her undead Dark Signer existence, and Yuri and Selena… actually DO get together in the end!"

Now, if any of you have read my story "Muses", you'd know that Faith doesn't care if you're joking. You speak against her OTPs, you're in big trouble. And of that entire thing, Yuri/Selena was the only one she ships. So I respond with: "…Welp there goes about three different universes as Faith just went absolutely crazy mad at you. And that was only for breaking ScoopShipping."

This is my favorite part. Donjusticia replies with: "This is the automate . n e t message service. We regret to inform you that author, Donjusticia, has regretfully passed away. Cause of death: His own stupid decision to tick off a VERY passionate muse."

I laugh quite a bit before I reply with: "Faith is _ridiculously_ hardcore when it comes to her OTPs. You, kind of triggered nOTP Mode. You're just lucky she isn't channeling Yuno Gasai from Future Diary right now, you would be dead multiple times over."

So naturally Donjusticia replies with: "Hey Yuno Gasai! I had Dark Signer Ruri KISS Yuki! AND HE LIKED IT!"

Leading to my response which Donjusticia told me I had to include, which was: "No Yuno Gasai here. Nice try you… suicidal person."

This was just perfect.

Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go cry because I'm on my way to my last ever band competition.


	4. 4: Drugs and Demons

**A/N: Sorry about the wait guys, I had a bunch of college stuff to take care of before I could come back to edit this. Well, it's finally done now.**

 **Head's up, I left some of Daichi's dialogue in Japanese as per Donjusticia's request. But, if you've marathoned the sub of the various Yu-Gi-Oh! shows like I have, I'm sure you'll know what's going on.**

… **Actually, I'm pretty sure** _ **everything**_ **in this chapter, bar a couple incorrect punctuation points or a repeated word, was Donjusticia's work. So really, this is all his, not mine.**

 **A/N from Donjusticia: Thank you Shimmering-Sky so much for this wonderful opportunity AND for your continued support. This has been an utterly wonderful experience for me. To all of you reading this, thank you for your continued support for Shimmering-Sky. She is truly a great author and deserves all the support she can get. It is our sincere hope that you enjoy this chapter.**

 **I may have written the first draft of this story, but Shimmering-Sky has contributed much in the way of contributing card descriptions, plot details, and formatting for the duel. Not to mention the fact that this whole wonderful story was started by her. Thank you once again for creating this. I look forward to reading more from you.**

* * *

 **Drugs and Demons**

The next morning, Reizo was at the table with his Deck, ready to show off his skills to Daichi and receive some answers to the questions he had.

Daichi knocked at the door as he always did, causing Reizo to rush over and open the door for the tall man. "Good morning Reizo," said Daichi, taking Reizo's hand. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Very good." Reizo yawned, rubbing his eyes.

"I can see that." Daichi smirked, before placing his bowler hat on a nearby coat rack. "Well then, are we ready to begin?" he asked, slotting his Deck into his Duel Disk.

"Are we gonna use Duel Disks?" Reizo asked.

"This will be a special session," Daichi explained, handing Reizo a Duel Disk and Mister Sippy, which Reizo quickly fastened to his head. "If all goes well, I'll be able to cure you of your little problem. In order to do that, I will need to use the Real Solid Vision system your father created. But don't worry, you won't be in any danger. I have set this Solid Vision to its squishiest and softest setting."

Reizo took the disk from Daichi before slotting his Deck into the Deck slot and activating the blade. He was about to draw, when he remembered something he wanted to talk to Daichi about. "Daichi…" he asked "…why do I remember the people from the other world when I look at my cards?"

Daichi stared back at him unblinkingly, eyes seemingly piercing straight through Reizo like x-rays. "That…" Daichi trailed off for a moment, tapping thoughtfully on his chin, "…is something I am not sure of. But perhaps as we complete this duel, I shall discover the answer. Are you ready?"

"Duel!" Reizo proclaimed, nodding his head in agreement.

Daichi smiled before activating his Duel Disk, the black shield-shaped body of his Disk projecting a bright white sword-shaped blade instead of the regular V-shaped pattern. "DUEL!" he agreed, drawing his opening hand.

 **Daichi's Life Points: 4000. Reizo's Life Points: 4000**

"The first move is mine!" Reizo declared, pulling a card from his hand. "I'll begin by activating the Field Spell _The Gates of Dark World_ , so my Fiend-Type monsters gain 300 ATK and DEF!"

As he slammed down the card, his room began changing, the walls, floor and ceiling looking more dark and demonic than before. Behind Reizo, a massive shut gate appeared.

"Next…" Reizo continued, "…I activate the Spell _Polymerization_!"

"Fusion?" Daichi asked, a delighted smile gracing his lips. "I had no idea you had learned the Fusion arts."

"I did," Reizo proudly declared, "and thanks to this Spell Card, I can fuse my _Oppal, Archer of Dark World_ with my _Ceruli, Guru of Dark World_ in order to Fusion Summon!"

A small, humanoid creature wearing a skeleton for armor, holding a bow made of a dark orange wood, and another one—smaller overall, but wider—wrapped in a dark-blue cloak appeared on Reizo's field, then were absorbed into a spiral of light that shined behind him.

" _Archer of darkness and sage of hell! Combine your strength in the midst of unlight and bring forth the supreme ruler of Dark World! Fusion Summon! Level 8! Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World!"_

A massive demon in regal armor as black as his own body stepped out from the portal behind the boy. His claws wrapped around a bone-encrusted sword the same size as himself that he still managed to hold up as shadows dripped off of him like water.

 _ **Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type / Level 8 / 3000 + 300 → 3300 ATK / 2100 + 300 → 2400 DEF**

"But I'm not done yet!" Reizo declared, selecting another card in his hand. "Since my _Oppal_ is in the Graveyard, I discard _Brron, Mad King of Dark World_ in order to activate her effect! By banishing _Oppal_ and _Brron_ from my Graveyard, I use them as Synchro Material for a 'Dark World' Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck!"

The small skeleton-clad archer appeared out of a portal in the ground, dragging another monster alongside her. The second monster, a fiend with an eerie grin cloaked in regal robes yet bound in chains, floated above _Oppal_. The archer notched all four of her arrows and shot them towards _Brron_ , and each turned into a green ring that formed a column for _Brron's_ four stars to go through.

" _Mad ruler, extend your kingdom across the earth! Claim everything in the name of Dark World! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Arise, Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World!"_

The column flashed brightly, before revealing the new monster it had created. It was a demonic woman, her skin the color of amethysts, a dark crown set atop her horns and snow-white hair. Gemstones the same color as her skin decorated her grey armor, though a ruby was the choice of stone set in her staff.

 _ **Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type / Level 8 / 2600 + 300 → 2900 / 1800 + 300 → 2100 DEF**

" _Amethyss'_ effect activates! When she's Synchro Summoned, I get to draw three cards from my Deck!" he declared, drawing the three cards. _Broww, Huntsman of Dark World_ , _Hallowed Life Barrier_ , and _Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World_. The hints of a smile formed on his face—this was actually _fun_. "Not only that, but she gains 200 ATK for every card in my hand!"

 _ **Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World**_ **: 2900 + (200 × 4) → 3700 ATK**

He took another card from his hand, placing it on the blade of his Duel Disk. "Since I haven't Normal Summoned any monsters yet, I Summon _Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World_."

The fiend appeared on his field immediately, tightly gripping his lance in both hands.

 _ **Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type / Level 4 / 1600 + 300 → 1900 ATK / 1300 + 300 → 1600 DEF**

 _ **Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World**_ **: 3700 → 3500 ATK**

"Then I use the effect of my Field Spell! I can banish _Ceruli_ from my Graveyard, then discard _Broww, Huntsman of Dark World_ to draw a card! And because _Broww_ was discarded, I get to draw another card too!"

 _ **Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World**_ **: 3500 → 3700 ATK**

 _Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World_ and _Dark Grepher._ Oh, this was just _perfect_.

"Next…" Reizo continued, "…I will discard _Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World_ in order to Special Summon _Dark Grepher_ from my hand!"

A muscular, black-skinned fiend appeared on Reizo's field. Its eyes glowed red, as did the ones on the armor that covered its stomach.

 _ **Dark Grepher**_ **: DARK Warrior-Type / Level 4 / 1700 ATK / 1600 DEF**

 _ **Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World**_ **: 3700 → 3300 ATK**

"And now," he continued, "since I control two Level four monsters, I Overlay them both in order to Xyz Summon! _He who leads the forces of darkness, strike down the foes of Dark World! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Storm forth, Balak, Marshal of Dark World!_ "

The two monsters turned into separate spheres of light, circling each other before plunging into a galaxy of light. The galaxy burst, and a large figure in black armor appeared before Reizo. Set into the torso of the armor were three red orbs. His helm had horns that curved backwards, and he held a massive broadsword in both hands. His cape hung slightly elevated off his back.

 _ **Balak, Marshal of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type / Rank 4 / 2200 ATK / 1600 DEF**

"With that done, I'll return one card from my hand to the bottom of my Deck in order to keep _Amethyss_ on the field and end my turn."

 _ **Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World**_ **: 3300 → 3100 ATK**

Daichi stared back at Reizo's impressive field with wonder before clapping his hands. "Excellent, excellent," he congratulated. "You have certainly improved magnificently since the first time we Dueled." He let out a satisfied sigh before continuing. "Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Summoning, well then… perhaps I should go all out this time."

He held his Duel Disk out, a larger and toothier smile sprouting on his smooth face as he placed his gloved hand over the top of his Deck.

"Waga no turn…" he declared, "…DRAW!" Still smiling his large toothy smile, he continued with his turn.

"I'll begin by activating a Magic Card, _Rorschach Analysis_ ," Daichi declared, sliding a Spell Card into his Disk. "This card reveals five 'Psychic Ink' cards from my Deck. Afterwards, you get to choose one card to add to my hand while the rest are sent to the Graveyard. Using this effect, I choose to reveal _Psychic Ink Figure One_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Two_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Three_ , P _sychic Ink Figure Four_ , and _Psychic Ink Figure Five_. Now choose, Reizo, which of these cards shall I add to my hand?"

Reizo nervously looked through the various cards Daichi had revealed, three of them monsters and two of them Traps. There seemed to be something a little off about Daichi, there was a fire in his eyes he had never seen before and he seemed to be far more eager and zealous to continue with the activity than he had during any of their previous meetings. Still, Reizo had worked to improve his Dueling skills. Maybe Daichi had been working just as hard as he had and was now ready to show off.

"I choose… _Psychic Ink Figure One_ ," Reizo decided, pointing at that card.

Daichi nodded his head in approval before adding the declared card to his hand and sending the other four cards to the Graveyard.

"Your connection between your cards and your past memories has given you insight, my dear Reizo," Daichi declared before pulling three cards from his hand. "With this insight, your Dueling powers have also grown at a proportional rate. Regretfully, it is now my task to eliminate that insight and cure you of the disease that has plagued you since your birth!"

 _Disease? Insight? What's he talking about?_ Reizo narrowed his eyes in confusion. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he didn't quite like Daichi's tone of voice or expression. There was a glint of madness in his bright blue eyes and the furious uncontrollable energy of a maniac in his movements.

"I will now activate the three Continuous Magic cards that shall be the instrument of your cure!" Daichi declared, throwing down his three cards. "From my hand I activate _Psychic Ink Figure Eight_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Nine_ , and _Psychic Ink Figure Ten_!"

In front of Daichi, three Spell Cards depicting patterns of Multi-Colored ink materialized into existence. _Psychic Ink Figure Eight_ depicted an ink blot with a green almost umbrella-like top, a blue middle that looked like a set of blue lungs or wings, a pair of red arms that looked almost like a pair of dogs or lizards, and a red and orange body like the tail of a bird. _Psychic Ink Figure Nine_ was larger, with a split yellow top, a broad blue middle, and a small red bottom. _Psychic Ink Figure Ten_ was the largest, with a small grey top shaped like the Eiffel Tower, a pair of large red legs, and splashes of green, blue, yellow, and orange blots of ink scattered around in symmetrical pairs. As Reizo stared at each of the cards, the images on the face of the cards seemed to constantly shift, displaying images of people, places, and things Reizo remembered from the other world.

His head hurt.

" _Psychic Ink Figure Ten's_ effect activates!" Daichi declared, raising his hands into the air, "With it, I can Fusion Summon one 'Psychic Daemon' monster from my Extra Deck using 'Psychic Ink' cards I control, from my hand, or by banishing cards from my Graveyard as materials!"

"You can… Fusion Summon?" Reizo asked, head feeling oddly cloudy as he continued looking at Daichi's multi-colored cards.

"Fusion Summoning is my greatest tool," Daichi replied. "It is the means by which knowledge can be compiled together in pursuit of even greater knowledge! Behold the fruits of such knowledge now! I send _Psychic Ink Figure One_ from my hand to the Graveyard and banish _Psychic Ink Figure Two_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Three_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Four_ , and _Psychic Ink Figure Five_ from my Graveyard in order to Fusion Summon!"

Above his head, the spectral forms of all five of Daichi's "Psychic Ink" cards he had previously revealed rose into the air before changing into different colors and blending together in the center of a Fusion Portal. As the cards mixed together in the center of the vortex, Daichi raised his arms into the air and began his fusion chant, trench coat and hair billowing in the air as a rush of powerful wind enveloped Reizo's room.

 _"Abstract and formless tools of cognitive investigation, collaborate together in your scientific research and extrapolate new data from your discoveries! YUUGO SHOKAN! ARAWAYO! LEVEL ONE! PSYCHIC DAEMON EXTRAPOLATOR!"_

From the center of the portal, an amorphous mass of multi-colored ink bubbled onto the duel field before shaping itself into the vague form of a creature with four pairs of wings, two heads, four arms, and a peacock-like tail. In the center of its body, what looked like a human face seemed to stare at Reizo before the entire mass of ink began shifting, constantly shaping itself into different forms and colors. Gazing at the monster in a transfixed state, Reizo couldn't help but notice the faces of different people he knew. Suzaku, Kallen, Shirley, Mao, Zero, C.C., Charles, and many more.

 _ **Psychic Daemon Extrapolator**_ **: DARK Psychic-Type / Level 1 / 0 ATK / 0 DEF**

"The first half of the operation has been set up!" Daichi declared, "Now it is time to balance the equation! I activate the effect of _Psychic Ink Figure Eight_. With this card, I can Fusion Summon one 'Psychic Daemon' monster from my Extra Deck by shuffling cards from my side of the field, hand, Graveyard, or that are currently banished into the Deck as materials. Using this card, I shuffle _Psychic Ink Figure One_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Two_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Three_ , _Psychic Ink Figure Four_ , and _Psychic Ink Figure Five_ into my Deck in order to Fusion Summon!"

Reizo blinked as Daichi's cards rose up once more into the center of the fusion portal before once again blending together into a mass of multi-colored light as Daichi began a new Fusion Chant.

 _"Vague and ambiguous reflections of the human psyche, overwrite and paint over the erroneous patterns of thought and give rise to a new knowledge! YUUGO SHOKAN! ARAWAYO! LEVEL ONE! PSYCHIC DAEMON REVISER!"_

Next to Daichi's first monster, a similar mass of multi-colored ink oozed onto the duel field before assuming the form of a large bloated multi-colored worm with eight pairs of stubby arms and what looked like black tree roots, firmly anchoring the writhing creature in place. In the center of the creature's chest, Reizo could see the amorphous shapes of other people he knew such as Himika, Reiji, Leo, Nakajima, Daichi, and many more people from his own dimension.

 _ **Psychic Daemon Reviser**_ **: DARK Psychic-Type / Level 1 / 0 ATK / 0 DEF**

Grinning to Reizo, Daichi held up the flashlight for the first time during the duel, and flashed the blue light into Reizo's face. Knowing what that meant, Reizo pushed down on the coconut of his remote, tasting the liquid of the drink he had requested the previous day…

…and completely losing focus.

" _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator's_ monster effect activates," Daichi declared, in a voice that sounded oddly warped and distant.

 _Monster… effect?_ Reizo thought to himself, struggling to remember what was going on.

"Once per turn, I can declare five different card names…" Daichi explained, voice still oddly distorted and quiet. "…If all five of the declared card names are present among the cards on my opponent's side of the field, hand, Graveyard, Deck, and/or Extra Deck, all copies of those cards are banished, and I can inflict 100 damage for each card banished with this effect."

"Huh…" Reizo mumbled to himself, struggling to piece together what Daichi had just said. "…he has to guess the name of five cards I have… I'll bet he'll know a lot about what's in my Deck since we've been dueling a while now."

Daichi seemed to know that Reizo was thinking.

"My Deck's power is based on the knowledge I have over my opponents," Daichi explained. "In your case, I have known the exact contents of your Deck for quite some time. However, in order to truly cure you of your affliction, it was not only necessary to know _what_ was in your Deck, but how it all connected to your memories. That way, I could know exactly what needed to be targeted."

"Targeted?" Reizo asked, surprised by how slurred his voice was.

Daichi smiled back at him. "I must apologize, my dear Reizo. I honestly don't know how your current Deck came to be connected with your past memories, and sadly, you will never know either. Fortunately, you can rest easy knowing that your question will bother you no more."

Reizo stared at Daichi, visions from his past flooding his memories as he continued staring at Daichi's monsters.

"Using the effect of _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ …" Daichi declared, "…I banish your mental representation of Kallen, _Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World_ , your mental representation of Suzaku, _Balak, Marshall of Dark World_ , your mental representation of Charles, _Grapha, Dragon Lord of Dark World_ , your mental representation of Nunnally, _Greyy, Defender of Dark World_ , and your mental representation of Schneizel, _Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World_. However, I will choose not to inflict any damage to your Life Points."

As Daichi called each of their names, flashes of memory burst into Reizo's mind as he recalled their faces. As if in response to Reizo's recollections, _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ transformed into a mirror image of each person as Reizo recalled them. However, immediately upon shaping itself into their image, _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ would just as suddenly darken before exploding into a shower of ink-droplets, prompting what seemed like a subsequent and immediate darkening, exploding, and erasing of the image in Reizo's mind. Reizo blinked furiously as he tried to recall what he was thinking about, but as he obediently removed the declared cards from the game, no thoughts came to his head.

" _Psychic Daemon Reviser's_ effect activates." Daichi declared, voice still sounding distant, "Once per turn, I can declare five card names. If all five of the declared card names are present among the cards on my opponent's side of the field, Graveyard, hand, or which are currently banished, I can shuffle all copies of the declared cards into the Deck, and if I do, I can shuffle cards from your hand into the Deck up to the number of cards shuffled into the Deck with this effect. Afterwards, I can add up to five 'Psychic Ink' cards from my side of the field, hand, Deck, Graveyard, or which are currently banished to my opponent's hand, and if I do, I can draw cards from my Deck up to the number of cards added to my opponent's hand with this effect. Using this effect, I will shuffle _Amethyss_ , _Balak_ , _Grapha_ , _Greyy,_ and _Reign-Beaux_ into your Deck in order to add the cards _Psychic Ink Figures One_ through _Five_ to your hand. However, I will choose not to draw any cards from my Deck with this effect."

Reizo stared blankly at Daichi's field, watching as _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ began shifting its shape, morphing into people and scenes from his life living with the Akabas.

"You remember don't you?" Daichi asked. "This beautiful world is the only world you have known. Your family in this world is the only family you have known. There are no wars here, no enemies, and no monsters to fear. Your Deck tells you this. It was a gift given to you by your brother, Reiji. Your cards remind you of the love he has for you and it is why you continue using them.

"My… brother?" Reizo droned, mindlessly taking the Psychic Ink cards from Daichi and staring at them. As he did, his mind slowly began to clear up. Yes… that was right. Reiji had always been there for him. He had given him the "Dark World" Deck when he wanted to learn how to duel, and he had helped him become very good at Dueling. He was gonna beat Daichi with the skills he had learned. All he needed to do now was make it past the next turn and he would win!

"Is it my turn yet?" Reizo asked, blinking as the world seemed to come back into focus.

"I just have a few more plays and then I'll be finished," Daichi enthused, extending his hand towards his last Magic Card.

"I now activate the effect of _Psychic Ink Figure Nine_ ," Daichi declared. "While this card is face-up on the field, I can tribute one 'Psychic Daemon' monster I control in order to Special Summon another 'Psychic Daemon' Monster from my Extra Deck with a different name. And so, by tributing my _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ and _Reviser_ , I can summon a second copy of _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ and _Reviser_ from my Extra Deck."

Reizo blinked as Daichi's monsters exploded into puddles of ink before reforming, _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_ taking upon itself the appearance of _Psychic Daemon Reviser_ and _Psychic Daemon Reviser_ taking upon itself the appearance of _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_.

Glancing briefly at the monster stats and seeing that both of Daichi's monsters only had 0 ATK and DEF, Reizo smirked confidently at Daichi before noticing that Daichi was once again flashing the blue light in his face. Quickly, Reizo pressed down on the coconut and took a drink.

"Excellent job." Daichi congratulated, voice rapidly fading into the background. "Let's continue then, shall we? I banish the embodiment of Marianne, _Snoww, Unlight of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Cornelia, _Sillva, Warlord of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Clovis, _Latinum, Exarch of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Jeremiah, _Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World_ , and the embodiment of V.V., _Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World_."

Rapidly shifting into the forms of each of these people, Reizo briefly saw each of their images appear in his mind, before getting wiped away and getting replaced with a blank slate.

"They do not exist, they never existed. Remember your family and your friends. Remember that the ones who have always loved you are Himika, Leo, and Reiji," Daichi patiently explained, gently activating _Psychic Daemon Reviser's_ effect and handing Reizo five more copies of his "Psychic Ink" cards. Upon finishing, he flashed the blue light again, prompting Reizo to dazedly and automatically press on the coconut and take a drink from Mister Sippy.

" _Psychic Ink Figure Nine's_ effect," Daichi declared, voice sounding impossibly low and warped. "I tribute my two monsters in order to summon my third and final copies of these monsters from my Extra Deck. We're almost done, my dear Reizo, you are almost cured. I only need to destroy your false identity now. I banish the cards which embody your past identity, the embodiment of Lelouch Lamperouge, _Gren, Tactician of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Zero, _Zure, Knight of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Lelouch vi Britannia, _Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World_ , the embodiment of your contract, _Dark World Dealings_ , and the embodiment of the world that exists beyond this one, _The Gates of Dark World_. Remember who you are, Reizo. You are Akaba Reizo, born in Maiami City, born to inherit a successful company alongside your brother, and born to be successful in your life here as a Duelist, student, and businessman. Embrace your identity and let your 'Dark World' Deck remind you of this grand destiny!"

Reizo nodded his head as Daichi handed him five more copies of his "Psychic Ink" cards. Yes, Daichi was right. He was Akaba Reizo, Maiami City was his home, and he would grow up to be successful like his mom and dad. Reizo saw Daichi flash the blue light again and he took another drink from Mister Sippy, watching with bland curiosity as the room slowly became more blurry.

"I tribute P _sychic Daemon Reviser_ …" Daichi declared, voice sounding so distorted and funny, that Reizo couldn't help laughing like a drunkard. "…in order to Special Summon the Level one Fusion Monster, _Psychic Daemon Analyzer_."

 _ **Psychic Daemon Analyzer**_ **: DARK Psychic-Type / Level 1 / 0 ATK / 0 DEF**

Reizo whistled as Daichi's new monster rose to the field, shaping itself into the appearance of a horned demonic beast with a gaping reptilian mouth, four legs, and twelve blood red eyes with blue pupils.

" _Psychic Daemon Analyzer's_ effect activates when it is Summoned," Daichi explained, voice now high-pitched and squeaky, making Reizo laugh like a maniac once again. "I declare five card names, and for every one of those cards that are among the cards on your side of the field, hand, Deck, Graveyard, Extra Deck, or which are currently banished, my monster gains 1000 ATK. With this effect I declare the names of _Oppal, Archer of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Shirley, _Brron, Mad King of Dark World_ , the embodiment of Euphemia, _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_ , the embodiment of C.C., _Axe of Despair_ , the embodiment of the despair the Kingdom of Britannia brought upon the world, and _Dark World Lightning_ , the embodiment of the rebellion against Britannia. Hold the images of these false memories in your mind."

Reizo stared back at Daichi open-mouthed, a stream of drool running down the corner of his cheek as the images of each of those people and ideas flooded his brain. In front of him, the ATK of _Psychic Daemon Analyzer_ skyrocketed to 5000 before Analyzer let out an impossibly deep demonic roar, causing Reizo to laugh uncontrollably once again.

" _Psychic Daemon Analyzer's_ second effect now activates. Once per turn, I must declare the name of one monster. My opponent then Special Summons that monster from their hand, Deck, Graveyard, or Extra Deck if possible. If my opponent cannot, then _Psychic Daemon Analyzer_ is banished. The monster I choose to summon is _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_. Come forth to Reizo's field in Attack Mode, now."

Looking at his field with a bleary expression on his face, Reizo watched as his monster appeared to the field, stretching out its hands as if getting ready to block an attack.

 _ **Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World**_ **: DARK Fiend-Type / Level 4 / 100 ATK / 2100 DEF**

"You have outgrown those memories," Daichi declared. "You have no need for any more imaginary friends. It's time to focus on what's important. Otherwise, you shall come to harm, my dear Reizo. You must not let yourself get hurt, not like _Renge_ is about to be." He smirked to himself before extending his hand towards his monster.

"Battle…" he declared, "… _Psychic Daemon Analyzer_ , destroy _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_ , Reizo's Life Points, and all other memories connected with the Zero Requiem! _Cognitive Recalibration_!"

Letting out a roar like an enraged dragon, Psychic Daemon Analyzer reared up on its hind legs before letting loose a torrent of multi-colored ink from its gaping mouth, obliterating _Renge, Gatekeeper of Dark World_ and flattening Reizo, who was still only barely registering what was going on, to the ground.

 **Reizo's Life Points: 4000 - 4900 → 0**

…

…

…

 _"Reizo?"_

…

…

…

 _"Reizo?"_

…

…

 _"Reizo!"_

The boy snapped awake after hearing Daichi's voice. Blinking his eyes, he rubbed the back of his head before blearily getting up on his feet with the help of Daichi.

"What… happened?" Reizo asked, looking around his room.

"Well…" Daichi sighed, smiling gently at Reizo while patting him on the back, "…you'll be happy to know that you won, but it did get a little intense. If I were you, I think I would take a little nap before engaging in any strenuous activity.

Reizo nodded his head, yawning to himself as he did. Falling into Daichi's arms, he let the nice doctor carry him up into his bed and gently tuck him in.

"Good day, Reizo." Daichi whispered, patting the little boy on his head, "May your dreams be sweet and undisturbed and may you awaken to a beautiful peaceful world and a family who loves you very much." And adjusting his bowler hat over his head, Daichi quietly crept out of Reizo's room, leaving the little boy to rest easy, safely and completely cured.

* * *

 **A/N: Well, that's that! I'm very glad this turned out so great. Everyone better thank Donjusticia a whole bunch in their reviews! Now enjoy a weird little poem song thing from him!**

 **A/N from Donjusticia:**

 **Hush little Reizo, don't say a word**

 **Daichi's gonna keep your memories well blurred**

 **and if you try to recall your past pain and strife**

 **Daichi might just come down to end your life.**

* * *

 **Cards in this:**

 _Oppal, Archer of Dark World_

DARK Fiend/Tuner/Effect

Level 4

Effect: If this card is in your Graveyard: You can discard 1 card from your hand; banish this card and 1 non-Tuner "Dark World" monster from your Graveyard, then Special Summon 1 Synchro Monster from your Extra Deck, whose Level equals the combined Levels of the banished monsters. (This Special Summon is treated as a Synchro Summon.)

1000 ATK

300 DEF

 _Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World_

DARK Fiend/Fusion/Effect

Level 8

2 "Dark World" monsters

Effect: If you control another face-up "Dark World" monster, this card cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects. Once per turn, you can target 1 banished "Dark World" monster; add it to your hand, then discard 1 card.

3000 ATK

2100 DEF

 _Amethyss, Demon Queen of Dark World_

DARK Fiend/Synchro/Effect

Level 8

1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Dark World" monsters

Effect: When this card is Synchro Summoned: Draw 3 cards. This card gains 200 ATK for each card in your hand. Once per turn, if a face-up "Dark World" card you control would be destroyed: You can negate its destruction, then discard 2 cards from your hand. During each of your End Phases: Place 1 card from your hand to the bottom of your Deck or destroy this card.

2600 ATK

1800 DEF

 _Balak, Marshal of Dark World_

DARK Fiend/Xyz/Effect

Rank 4

2 DARK monsters

Effect: Once per turn, if this card is targeted by a card effect: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; the effect of that card now becomes "Your opponent discards 1 random card." If this card is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon any Xyz Material it had attached, if possible. Monsters Special Summoned by this effect are destroyed during the End Phase of your next turn.

2200 ATK

1600 DEF

 _Greyy, Defender of Dark World_

DARK Fiend/Effect

Level 3

Effect: If this card is in your hand when a "Dark World" monster you control would be destroyed: You can discard this card from your hand; this turn, "Dark World" monsters you control cannot be destroyed.

900 ATK

2000 DEF

 _Rorschach Analysis_

Normal Spell

Effect: Reveal 5 "Psychic Ink" cards from your Deck with different names: Your opponent chooses 1 to add to your hand and all other cards are sent to the Graveyard.

 _Psychic Ink Figure One_

DARK Psychic/Effect

Level 1

Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, your opponent adds 1 monster from his/her Deck to his/her hand and reveals it: This card's Name, Type, Attribute, Level, ATK, DEF, and effects each become the same as that monster's.

? ATK

? DEF

 _Psychic Ink Figure Two_

Continuous Trap

Effect: [Unknown]

-  
 _Psychic Ink Figure Three_

Continuous Trap

Effect: [Unknown]

-  
 _Psychic Ink Figure Four_

DARK Psychic/Effect

Level 1

Effect: When this card is Normal Summoned, your opponent adds 1 Spell Card from his/her Deck to his/her hand and reveals it: Your opponent then chooses to activate 1 of the following effects.

● Add the revealed card to your opponent's hand.

● Shuffle the revealed card into your Deck.  
Your opponent cannot activate cards with the revealed card's name while this card is face-up on the field.

0 ATK

0 DEF

-  
 _Psychic Ink Figure Five_

DARK Psychic/Effect

Level 1

Effect: [Unknown]

0 ATK

0 DEF

 _Psychic Ink Figure Eight_

Continuous Spell

Effect: While this card is face-up on the field, you can Fusion Summon 1 "Psychic Daemon" monster from your Extra Deck by shuffling cards from your side of the field, hand, Graveyard, or that are currently banished into the Deck as Material.

-  
 _Psychic Ink Figure Nine_

Continuous Spell

Effect: While this card is face-up on the field, during your Main-Phase, you can tribute 1 "Psychic Daemon" monster you control: Special Summon 1 "Psychic Daemon" monster from your Extra Deck with a different name from the monster tributed with this effect.

-  
 _Psychic Ink Figure Ten_

Continuous Spell

Effect: While this card is face-up on the field, you can Fusion Summon 1 "Psychic Daemon" monster from your Extra Deck using cards on your side of the field, hand, and/or by banishing cards in your Graveyard as Material.

 _Psychic Daemon Extrapolator_

DARK Psychic/Fusion/Effect

Level 1

5 "Psychic Ink" cards  
Effect: Once per turn, you can declare five card names: If all five of the declared card names are present among the cards on your opponent's side of the field, Graveyard, hand, Deck, and/or Extra Deck, banish all copies of the declared cards from among the cards on your opponent's side of the field, Graveyard, hand, Deck, and/or Extra Deck, and if you do, you can inflict 100 Damage to your opponent's LP for each card banished with this effect. While this card is face-up on the field, your opponent can add 1 of his/her banished cards to his/her hand during the Draw Phase of his/her turn instead of conducting his/her normal draw.

0 ATK

0 DEF

 _Psychic Daemon Reviser_

DARK Psychic/Fusion/Effect

Level 1

5 "Psychic Ink" Cards  
Effect: Once per turn, you can declare five card names: If all five of the declared card names are present among the cards on your opponent's side of the field, Graveyard, hand, or which are currently banished, shuffle all copies of the declared cards from among the cards on your opponent's side of the field, Graveyard, hand, or which are currently banished into the Deck, and if you do, shuffle cards from your opponent's hand into the Deck up to the number of cards shuffled into the Deck with this effect. Afterwards, you can add up to five "Psychic Ink" cards from your side of the field, hand, Deck, Graveyard, or which are currently banished to your opponent's hand, and if you do, draw cards from your Deck up to the number of cards added to your opponent's hand with this effect.

0 ATK

0 DEF

 _Psychic Daemon Analyzer_

DARK Psychic/Fusion/Effect

Level 1

5 "Psychic Ink" Cards  
Effect: When this card is Summoned, declare five different card names: Your opponent reveals 1 copy of each of those cards from his/her side of the field, hand, Deck, Graveyard, Extra Deck, or which are currently banished if possible. This card's ATK and DEF each become equal to the number of cards revealed with this effect X 1000. Once per turn, you must declare 1 monster name: Your opponent Special Summons to his/her side of the field one monster with the declared name from his/her hand, Deck, Graveyard, Extra Deck, or which is currently banished if possible. If he/she cannot, this card is banished.

? ATK

? DEF


	5. 5: Brothers

**A/N: I actually had this idea for a while, mostly because for all intents and purposes, Reizo's POV has been all you guys have really seen. So, I decided to change things up a bit here. Reiji is, interesting to write, that's for sure.**

… **Alright, so this chapter has two scenes. The first one is set shortly before the Duel in the previous chapter, "Drugs and Demons", while the second one is set a week before the disastrous Reiji/Reizo vs. Masaki Duel in Code-V: Rebirth. Also, headcanons abound about Reira. Just so you guys know ahead of time.**

 **Enjoy~!**

* * *

 **Brothers**

Reiji didn't like his little brother.

He'd come to that conclusion a while ago, ever since Reizo had taken to spending _hours_ in his room folding cranes and said that he learned from his little sister "Nunna". That was all his brother cared about in those days, that and all the other things from the "other world" he insisted he remembered. Reizo didn't care about how much pain and stress he was causing their mother, stuff she had enough to deal with now that their father had left them.

He was perfectly happy with that. One less distraction meant he could throw himself into his studies, which he certainly needed since he was supposed to take up his father's position as CEO of the Leo Corporation as soon as he turned thirteen. He could do it, he was his mother's son and she believed in him.

But… deep down, he really didn't want that responsibility. He wished he could be a normal six-year-old, still learning how to add and subtract—not learning the basics of algebra already. He wished his brother didn't have those _absolutely wrong_ memories. He wished his father hadn't left them. He wished his mother hadn't had to change in response, going from a kind and patient mother to a cool and collected businesswoman—except in her moments of privacy, where she showed just how badly Leo leaving had affected her.

Unfortunately, life did not always go the way Reiji wanted it. _That_ was one lesson he unwillingly but quickly took to heart. Plans could fall to unknown variables. And while there was nothing wrong with trusting people, he could never know exactly what other people were thinking and, by extent, whether or not they would end up betraying him.

Reiji closed his notebook; he was finally done with his homework. Time for bed at last. The six-year-old rubbed his eyes and looked out his window. He could see lightning in the distance, shortly followed by rumbles of thunder. The first thunderstorm of the year.

Only a few minutes after he curled up under his covers did the storm get close enough to illuminate his bedroom. The rain also fell harder than it had been, not that it bothered Reiji. He was already almost asleep…

…

…

Someone knocked on his door. It was a light sound, barely audible above the rain, but he definitely heard it, and it would be rude to ignore the person regardless of how late it was. Reiji reached for his glasses and let out a huge yawn just before he opened the door.

…Reiji was not expecting to find his little brother, holding one of his blankets by his mouth, the lower edges of it just dragging alongside him. Reizo stared up at him with fearful eyes. "I can't sleep," Reizo said, his voice wavering slightly.

He had no idea how to handle this. His brother had _never_ come to him for anything before. And especially not scared to the point of tears. What was he supposed to do? Say something? Invite his brother inside? Send him to Mother?

The brightest streak of lightning so far flashed outside, almost simultaneously followed by the explosive rumble of thunder. Reizo muffled a shriek behind his blanket and promptly buried his head into Reiji's chest. The elder boy stood there, unmoving for a good moment or so, before hesitantly deciding to pull the younger one into a hug.

 _He's… scared of the storm? But he's never been scared of them before… right?_

Surely Reiji knew _that_ much about his brother. Unless… whatever Dr. Ishikuma was doing with Reizo was actually helping, at long last? Would he even recognize Reizo as _Reizo_ by the end of his treatment?

Another flash of lightning and another crack of thunder made Reizo _tremble_ in Reiji's arms, and any thoughts of the future slipped away from Reiji's mind. What mattered right now wasn't that, right now his brother was scared out of his mind and he couldn't let that happen.

"Reizo, the lightning isn't anything to be afraid of," Reiji said in a low but calming voice. "There's a bunch of particles up in the clouds. When they rub together, they make this thing called a negative charge. Negative charges are attracted to the positive charges all over the ground—or in other clouds—and when they meet in the middle, that's lightning. And the thunder? That's just the sound the lightning makes when it heats up the air around it. It can't do anything to you in here."

Reizo sniffed, tilting his head up. "R-Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," Reiji replied. His brother had calmed down enough, so he let go and started over to his bookshelf, looking through them. "I have a book on this somewhere if you'd like to see it."

"Um… no, I don't need it," Reizo said, shaking his head. Turning around, he dried his eyes on his blanket, before starting back to his own room. "…Thanks, Reiji."

The elder boy pursed his lips and adjusted his glasses. He wasn't sure he'd ever held a conversation as long as this one without Reizo talking about the other world. It was… different. _Nice_ , even. "Any… any time, Reizo. Isn't that what big brothers do?"

Reizo faltered for a moment. "Yeah… that's what they do…" he said, eyes shut. "They're supposed to—to…" He stopped, shaking his head. "…G-Good night, Reiji."

Reiji echoed the farewell and closed his door. A small smile formed on his lips.

His little brother wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

Reiji wasn't sure how to feel about Reira.

The boy had cast off his identity in order to survive in his own country. Himika had heard about it, and as a result he was given the name Reira and adopted in order to mold him into a strong Duelist, an asset against Academia. He would be the perfect soldier… although, the thought of such a young boy being forced into battle—even if he had no will of his own—made Reiji sick. He wasn't even _ten_ yet.

But, the sad reality was that they needed to form a strong enough defense before Academia inevitably invaded. The turmoil that the Xyz Dimension currently faced because they had been caught off-guard was proof enough.

Reiji let a weary sigh escape his lips as he rubbed his eyes. It was well past two in the morning, and combined with the fact that he'd pulled an all-nighter the day before in order to finish paperwork, he was beyond exhausted. But he had too much on his plate; analyzing the playstyles of the world's top Duelists to see which ones he should contact about potentially joining the Lancers, an important video conference with the heads of branches of LDS around the world about next year's budget, and—most importantly, in his opinion—overseeing the final steps in the creation of the dimensional transporter.

 _Almost. Just another week, and I'll be able to see my brother again. Even if—_

A particularly loud crack of thunder broke the fifteen-year-old out of his thoughts. It'd been storming for about an hour now, and the sound of the rain had nearly lulled him to sleep more than just a few times. At least now he would be able to go to bed and get a few hours of rest.

…But, a few minutes later, just as he was about to open the door to his own room, he heard another loud crash of thunder… followed by someone screaming. A young voice. _Reira._ Regardless of how he felt about the boy, he couldn't leave Reira like that, just like all those years ago, he couldn't leave Reizo alone and crying during _that_ storm.

Reira's room, adjacent to his, was already open a crack when Reiji went to open it. A night light by the closet cast shadows over the blankets thrown off of Reira's bed, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. However, Reiji knew exactly where Reira was—sounds of the boy crying were coming from underneath the bed. It… _hurt_ to hear that. _Crying_ was a sign of emotion—something that a boy with no will should similarly not have any of.

"Reira," he said, poking his head under the bed, although he doubted that Reira heard him.

The boy was shivering in the fetal position, hands pressing extremely hard over his ears in an attempt to block out the thunder. When another rumble sounded, he screamed again and curled tighter into a ball, muttering something in a language Reiji did not understand.

Understanding washed over Reiji's face. Reira thought the thunder was the sound of bombs going off nearby. Even without an identity, he would have no problem remembering _that_.

"Reira—"

The boy's eyes snapped open, wide with fear, and immediately he was screaming again, still in his native tongue—Reiji didn't need to understand it to know that he was telling him to go away, because he'd reached out to touch his youngest brother and now the boy was kicking at his hand.

"Reira. Reira. _Reira_ , stop, it's just me. It's Reiji."

The boy with purplish-grey hair froze, blinking a few times as the terror started to fade. He lowered his hands from his ears. "Rei…ji…?"

"That's right, Reiji, your brother. Take my hand, Reira."

Reira hesitated, staring at Reiji's outstretched hand for a long moment before taking it. As soon as Reiji pulled him out from under the bed, he was crying again and clinging to his elder brother like a lifeline, and Reiji let him, opting to hold the boy just as tightly so that he knew he didn't have to be afraid.

"There, there, Reira. It's just a thunderstorm. You're safe inside. The lightning can't touch you here, and the thunder—it's a harmless sound," Reiji said quietly. "You're _safe_. I won't ever let anyone or anything hurt you, I _promise._ "

That seemed to quiet the boy's nerves, and soon enough Reira was asleep almost peacefully. In a moment of weakness, Reiji didn't dare free himself from his grasp. He lifted the boy onto the bed and laid down alongside him, ignoring the stabbing guilt in his heart because he knew that promise could soon be broken, if he wasn't fast enough in getting Reizo out of the Xyz Dimension…

 _ **Strings.**_

 _ **Screaming.**_

 _ **Purple light.**_

 _ **Pain.**_

Reiji shook his head as he set his glasses aside. Now was the time for _sleep_ , not worrying about the possible future.

* * *

 **A/N: So yeah. The whole idea of the younger sibling being terrified of a storm and the older one having to calm them down was partially based on my own experiences with my youngest sister. She's grown out of that stage, but I definitely remember her coming in at one o'clock in the morning and taking over most of my bed some nights because she couldn't sleep.**

 **I feel so bad for all three of the Akaba boys, though. Reizo can't have a normal life because he's literally two different people, Reira's (at the moment) a mostly-emotionless shell with a bad case of PTSD, and Reiji has to shoulder so many problems he could work himself to death.**

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you guys leave a review!**


	6. 6: White

**A/N: HALLELUJAH! THIS MONSTER OF A CHAPTER IS FINALLY DONE! ONLY TOOK ME AN ENTIRE MONTH!**

… **Seriously, I came up with the idea for this at the start of December. It's January 8th now. I complained about how difficult it was just while writing the transcript to a friend, and after they asked me if I was doing it for fun, my answer was "I'm doing it for fun, but it's** _ **not fun**_ **!" With this done, I retract that statement, but still.**

 **Anyways, so, my muses came up with this idea because they decided that the Code-V version of the Fusion Dimension needed a bit of backstory, since while it's** _ **mostly**_ **the same, there's still some differences from canon. My free time for an entire month should've been worth this.**

 **For reference of where this takes place in the timeline, this is set about five years pre-Standard Arc, meaning it's three to four years pre-invasion. Reizo and Reiji won't end up accidentally visiting the Fusion Dimension for another two-ish years. Furthermore, assume anyone whose clothes I don't describe are the standard Obelisk Blue uniform.**

 **Also, fair warning, remember how way back in the prologue of "Code-V: Rebirth", I said I would be using an odd mix of TCG and OCG names? That comes into play during this.**

* * *

 **White**

Each year, the top five students from Obelisk Blue participated in a ceremonial Duel with Academia's best student, Yuri. The results from that Duel would determine their future, for they could be promoted if they performed well enough. It was every student's dream to become a member of the fabled Horakhty White class. The privilege to participate in secret missions for the glory of Academia and to have stories told about them by the other students. The choice to use their own Decks and wear their own clothes rather than be assigned a uniform and forced to use a variant of the "Ancient Gear" Deck that all students were given on their first day, as proof of their strength. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; you either made it or you didn't, because the ones that failed were booted to the lowest rank possible and rendered unable to climb back up.

Dennis Macfield was one such lucky individual. At the age of just eleven, Dennis had secured himself the number five spot on the list of Academia's top students. He at least had a chance to make it, compared to the people already in the class.

Edo Phoenix, the oldest member, whose insistence on protecting his fellow classmates had ultimately been the cause of his defeat, promoted because he'd almost wiped out all of Yuri's Life Points in one turn—at two separate times. The Tyler Sisters, Gloria and Grace, whose teamwork had nearly been enough to win them the Duel. The year after, the Miyamoto siblings Hitomi and Akihiko attempted a similar ploy, managing to draw the Duel out for _twenty_ turns before Yuri was able to defeat them. And lastly, Liu Masaki, whose downfall was that he decided to attack his own classmates before turning his attention to Yuri.

Still, if he wanted any chance of competing with that, he had to do something _spectacular_.

He had to do something that _no one_ expected.

He had to _win_.

The redhead sighed, dragging a hand through his hair as he looked at his Deck, spread across the table before him. It _had_ to be perfect, otherwise there was no way he could win this.

A hand clamped down on his back, and he stiffened in surprise, until he turned to see who it was. Elias Roth, a fourteen-year-old with blonde hair and pale blue eyes hidden behind a thick pair of glasses. He was Dennis' roommate, and the current best student in Obelisk Blue. Elias shook his head. "Dennis, you've been staring at your cards for _hours_. As long as you have our trump card, there's no way we'll lose. Now come on, we have to get going or else we'll be late for the Duel."

"Ah… right. Guess I'm just nervous, Elias." Dennis offered half a smile, and in one smooth motion, assembled his Deck. He _did_ have two copies of the card his friends wanted in his Deck, just like they had their own copies of it, to increase their chances of being able to play it… but he also had a trump card of his own, something _no one_ would expect.

He just hoped it was worth his money to get it.

Elias copied the half-smile. "Save it for after we win. C'mon, we have to go meet up with Yukiko now."

Five minutes after leaving their room, the two boys met up with a fifteen-year-old girl wearing an older version of the Obelisk Blue jacket over her uniform, the jacket having belonged to her elder brother that had graduated several years ago. Her straight, jet-black hair fell to her mid back, with her lilac-colored bangs side swept and tucked behind her ears. This was Kusaba Yukiko, friend of Elias and Dennis… and upon seeing the boys, she rolled her pink eyes at them. "Geez, _finally_. You guys should've been here a lot earlier."

"Yeah, well, Dennis here spent _way_ too much time staring at his cards," Elias retorted.

Dennis scoffed at the accusation. "In my defense, the Duel doesn't start for another ten minutes."

"Maybe, but Scarlett and," Yukiko made a face, "Hiroshi are both already in there. It could look bad on us for showing up later than them."

"You two worry too much," Dennis said with a shrug.

* * *

Dennis was right, being early to the arena was for nothing. The five of them were the only ones in there other than an albino Chinese boy wearing a Slifer Red jacket and jeans along with a pair of white sneakers. He was just sitting on top of the barrier between the field and the stands, and upon noticing that all five of them were here, he jumped down to greet them. "So, you five are the top this year?" He chuckled to himself. "I wonder if any of you have the _guts_ to be in White. You certainly don't look like it!"

Mataki Hiroshi, Obelisk Blue's second-best student, took offence to the young boy's statement. He was seventeen, the oldest currently in the room, and he was only two wins shy of surpassing Elias. To say that he didn't have the guts to make it into White… and by a random kid that didn't know his place! "Listen here, kid, I'm sure you think you're hot stuff and all, but—"

The ten-year-old grinned and cut him off. "You _do_ realize that _I_ am a member of Horakhty White and have every right to say what I want, yes? I just got stuck wearing this jacket because of an…" The boy made a face. "…incident with the laundry."

Hiroshi paled, the only color remaining on his face being his sea-green eyes. "You're a—but—how? You can't be more than ten!"

"Almost _eleven_ , actually, thank you very much," the boy retorted, glowering at Hiroshi, "and if you think _I'm_ too young for this… you're in for a rude awakening when you meet Yuri." And with that, the boy flicked his long white bangs over his shoulder, offered one last smirk to the stunned Hiroshi, and jumped back up on the ledge.

Scarlett Dean, the fourth-best student present, stared at Hiroshi with her brown eyes for a good moment or so before she chuckled, smacking his back playfully. "Well, number two, looks like _you_ just got schooled by a _kid_."

The dark-haired boy groaned, "Shut up, Scarlett."

While that exchange happened, Elias and Yukiko exchanged a few words, and the most prestigious teachers at the school found places in the seats to observe the coming match. Meanwhile Dennis let some of his worries go. That boy had to be Masaki, and Masaki was even younger than _him_. Him being the youngest of the top five wouldn't matter, only his skill in this Duel would.

Then, finally, the Professor himself entered the arena, a very young boy at his side. The boy was dressed rather plainly, in white pants and a button-up violet shirt that matched the majority of his hair, but carried himself with an air of superiority that _more_ than made up for the fact that he was only nine years old.

That fact threw Dennis for a bit of a loop as he stood at a rigid attention while the Professor passed him. He'd never seen Yuri before—not many at the school _had_ —but from the rumors of how strong he was and his Dueling record to show for it, he was honestly expecting… someone older. Especially since this was the fifth year that this ceremonial Duel would occur… that meant Yuri was only _five_ when the first one happened.

But, soon enough, it was time for the Duel to start. The turn order was decided—Yuri, Dennis, Scarlett, Elias, Hiroshi, and finally Yukiko—and everyone had their Duel Disks on and their starting hands drawn. Sparing a glance at his cards, Dennis couldn't have asked for a better hand. _Polymerization_ , _Performage Ball Rider_ , _Performage Trick Clown_ , _Negate Attack_ … and a copy of the card Elias had suggested they all use. He looked over to Elias, and gave the slightest bit of a nod to alert his friend that he had it already. Elias grinned a little, hiding it by looking at his cards, and passed the word on to Yukiko.

"I'll start… with the Spell _Polymerization_ ," Yuri decided, sliding it into his Duel Disk and sending two of the cards in his hand to the Graveyard. "I fuse _Predator Plant Cordyceps_ and _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_ from my hand!"

For a brief moment, both of his monsters appeared on the field. The first was a shrivelled plant with an angry red head set atop its stem, an unhealthy mass around its roots. The second, a green hyena-like plant with it leaves curling out from its body, its head crowned with a smiling yellow flower. Both monsters were promptly absorbed into the light behind Yuri.

" _Two beautiful flowers with a deadly alluring fragrance! Become one right now, and reveal the corpse flower hidden behind your petals! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Predator Plant Chimera Rafflesia!"_

A mass of thick, twisting vines appeared on Yuri's field. Atop of where the vines met was a massive rafflesia flower, the pink petals splashed with white. Several of the smaller vines branched out, mouths at the end of them that snapped hungrily as they floated around.

 _ **Predator Plant Chimera Rafflesia**_ **: DARK Plant-Type / Level 7 / 2500 ATK / 2000 DEF**

"I'll Set a single card face-down and end my turn," Yuri said, still smiling. "Now, let's see what you weaklings can do!"

 _He already got a Fusion Monster on the field_ , Dennis thought, eyeing the card in his hand that he wished he could have been able to have on the field before Yuri could do that. _But it's not the one I've heard about. That means we still have a chance._ Dennis took a deep breath, and grabbed a card from his hand. "It's my turn, then! I'll _also_ be starting with the Spell _Polymerization_ , and I'll fuse the _Performage Ball Rider_ and _Performage Trick Clown_ in my hand!"

A tiny clown wearing a red cape and a matching hat with yellow stars on it, balancing on a massive, colorful ball, alongside a larger clown dressed in a blue jester's outfit, balancing upside-down on an orange ball the size of his palm, appeared before Dennis for a moment, before they were absorbed into the spiral behind him.

" _Acrobat whose balancing act spreads joy! Merge with the infinitely reforming trickster, and become a new witch that spurs the sky! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Performage Trapeze Force Witch!"_

A woman in a skintight sky-blue leotard appeared before Dennis. She had a dark-purple skirt over the top of her leotard, the same color of fabric that covered her chest and made up the extra-poofy sleeves she had on. An orange mask covered her eyes while a purple hat rested atop her teal-colored hair. She spun the stringless trapeze in her hand, and the ends of the bar spouted strings of light for her to hang from.

 _ **Performage Trapeze Force Witch**_ **: DARK Spellcaster-Type / Level 7 / 2400 ATK / 1800 DEF**

"But it's boring if _Trapeze Force Witch_ is all alone on the field, don't you think?" Dennis continued. "I activate the effect of _Performage Trick Clown_ in my Graveyard; the turn he's sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon him by making his ATK and DEF 0!"

 _ **Performage Trick Clown**_ **: LIGHT Spellcaster-Type / Level 4 / 1600 → 0 ATK / 1200 → 0 DEF**

"A zero ATK and DEF monster…" Yuri observed, narrowing his eyes at it. "I fail to see how that does you any good."

Dennis shrugged, saying, "Well, right now I'm only setting the stage for later. I Set the remaining two cards in my hand face-down and end my turn."

"Then that means it's _my_ turn," Scarlett proudly declared, taking a card from her hand and slamming it on the blade of her Duel Disk. "I start by Summoning _Volcannon Fenix Bomber_ in Attack Mode!"

An armored phoenix with a large hangar bay attached to its underside appeared on the field.

 _ **Volcannon Fenix Bomber**_ **: FIRE Machine-Type / Level 4 / 1900 ATK / 1600 DEF**

"But it won't be staying for long, because I activate its effect, Tributing it in order to Special Summon _Volcannon Payload_ and _Fenix Salvo_ from my Deck with their effects negated," Scarlett continued.

Her monster exploded, but before it completely disappeared, two bursts of fire shot out of the hangar on its belly. One formed into some kind of mechanical beast with a single cannon on its back while the other turned into a small bird made entirely out of flames, its black armor over the top of its body armed with several rocket pods.

 _ **Volcannon Payload**_ **: FIRE Machine-Type / Level 4 / 1300 ATK / 600 DEF**

 _ **Fenix Salvo**_ **: FIRE Pyro-Type / Level 4 / 1800 ATK / 1300 DEF**

"And now—"

Dennis clapped his hands together, loudly, to get everyone's attention. It worked and when he had the attention he wanted, he smiled even though Scarlett was glaring at him for cutting her off. "Sorry to interrupt, Scarlett, but… you were about to Fusion Summon, weren't you?" He tapped his chin. "That was a stupid question, of course you were. Our Decks revolve around bringing out our boss monster—or monster _s_ —and use it to win. Don't you think that's boring, though? Fusion Summon, Fusion Summon, Fusion Summon. But what will you do if you _can't_ Fusion Summon?"

That made Scarlett narrow her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"I activate my face-down card… the Continuous Trap _Non-Fusion Area_!"

His card flipped up to the tune of several gasps and surprised looks.

"Wait— _what_?!" Scarlett shouted, staring at the card. "Why on earth would you—?"

"Why, you little…!" Hiroshi growled. "How _dare_ you?!"

" _Non-Fusion Area_ …? So, you're trying to prevent me from Summoning my dragon?" Yuri mused, laughing to himself and shaking his head. "I must admit I never expected you to play a card like that, but do you really believe you can last using only your _Trapeze Force Witch_?"

Dennis shook his head. "I still have many more tricks up my sleeve, but for now that's all." He turned to Scarlett, giving an exaggerated bow. "You can continue your turn now."

She glared at him, then at her hand and huffed in annoyance. "I… I Set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Alright, that means it's my turn!" Elias declared, already having removed a card from his hand. "I Normal Summon _Ritual Beast Tamer Elder_!"

A tall, elderly man dressed in green with a tan overcoat. He carried a staff almost his height over his right shoulder, the top of it curled around a glowing yellow crystal, with more of the same crystals hovering around the top.

 _ **Ritual Beast Tamer Elder**_ **: WIND Psychic-Type / Level 2 / 200 ATK / 1000 DEF**

"And because I Normal Summoned _Elder_ this turn, his effect allows me to Normal Summon another 'Ritual Beast' monster this turn!" Elias continued, adjusting his glasses while he grabbed another card from his hand. "I Summon _Spiritual Beast Cannahawk_ , and use its effect to banish _Ritual Beast Tamer Wen_ from my Deck!"

A hawk with black feathers overlaid with electricity appeared on Elias' field. The hawk's claws were made of electricity as well, while the electricity was focused from the front of the saddle on its back. It screeched, and a dark portal swirled below it, absorbing a card from Elias' Deck before it disappeared.

 _ **Spiritual Beast Cannahawk**_ **: WIND Thunder-Type / Level 4 / 1400 ATK / 600 DEF**

Yuri observed the two monsters, his head cocked to the side. "Two monsters as weak as that, and in Attack Mode to boot. Just what are you planning…?"

Dennis knew exactly what was happening, and held back a smile. This turn might take a while, but it'll end with his best friend holding a massive field advantage.

Elias smirked, extending his hands toward both of his monsters. "My 'Ritual Beast' monsters aren't phased at all by Dennis' _Non-Fusion Area_. See, I don't actually _Fusion_ Summon my Fusion Monsters, I banish the Materials from the field and _Special_ Summon that monster from my Extra Deck!"

"So, _you_ have a way around that card," Yuri said to himself, his eyes darting to his other opponents. "I wonder about the others…"

Both of the monsters on his field spiraled apart into the same dark void that had absorbed the card from Elias' Deck for _Cannahawk's_ effect.

" _Ancient hope of the windswept tribe, ride upon the spirit of thunder and soar on to new heights! Let's go, Contact Fusion! Appear, Level 6! Ritual Beast Ulti-Cannahawk!"_

The new monster appeared, and it was literally _Ritual Beast Tamer Elder_ riding atop a _Spiritual Beast Cannahawk_ that had grown several times in size in order to be large enough for someone to ride it.

 _ **Ritual Beast Ulti-Cannahawk**_ **: WIND Thunder-Type / Level 6 / 1400 ATK / 1600 DEF**

"Looks weak, right? Well, _Ulti-Cannahawk_ won't be staying on the field for long. During either player's turn, I can activate its _second_ ability, which allows me to return it to my Extra Deck in order to bring back one of my banished 'Ritual Beast Tamer' monsters and one banished 'Spiritual Beast' monster. I'll be bringing back _Elder_ and _Cannahawk_ ," Elias explained, then pointed at _Cannahawk_. " _Cannahawk's_ effect can now activate again, only this time I'll be banishing _Spiritual Beast Rampengu_."

Once again, the hawk's screeching caused a card from the blond-haired boy's Deck to be absorbed by shadows.

"I banish both of my monsters again to bring back _Ulti-Cannahawk_!" Elias continued, and when it was back, he gestured to it. "You remember how I said that defusing effect was its _second_ ability, right? Time for the first one! I target two of my banished 'Ritual Beast' monsters, return them to my Graveyard, and then add a 'Ritual Beast' card from my Deck to my hand. I'll be returning _Elder_ and that _Ritual Beast Tamer Wen_ I banished with _Cannahawk_ a while ago… but before that happens, I chain its second ability, targeting _Ritual Beast Tamer Wen_ and _Spiritual Beast Rampengu_ for Special Summoning. That means that only _Elder_ will be returning to my Graveyard, but it still fulfills the conditions to add _Ritual Beast Steeds_ to my hand!"

The electricity running across _Ulti-Cannahawk's_ body lit up so much that Elias' entire field was obscured for several moments. When it dimmed, the two monsters Elias had said would be Special Summoned were there. The first was a young girl, her lilac-streaked blonde hair held back by a headband with a little blue spiral over her left ear. She was wearing a plain violet dress with a belt holding up extra fabric, a short blue cape attached to the bands around her shoulders. She held a staff with a giant sapphire set inside of a golden ring, metal of the same color circling it. The second was a green penguin with a lighter underbelly, red-orange feathers on either side of its head. It also had a little metal piece around its neck, although it appeared to be missing a gem in it.

 _ **Ritual Beast Tamer Wen**_ **: WIND Psychic-Type / Level 3 / 1500 ATK / 1000 DEF**

 _ **Spiritual Beast Rampengu**_ **: WIND Beast-Type / Level 4 / 1600 ATK / 400 DEF**

"I'm almost done now," Elias said, then pointed at _Rampengu_. "But first, I need to use _Rampengu's_ ability; I banish _Ritual Beast Ulti-Apelio_ to send a 'Ritual Beast' monster of the same Type from my Deck to the Graveyard, which means I have to mill the Pyro-Type _Spiritual Beast Apelio_."

For the umpteenth time that turn, a card flew from his Deck into a spiral of shadows.

"Alright, with that done, time for another one of my Contact Fusions!" he announced.

Both monsters spiraled away into darkness…

" _Evil psychic of the spiritual tribe, ride upon the spirit of hearts and swim to the depths of dark waters! Let's go, Contact Fusion! Appear, Level 6! Ritual Beast Ulti-Pettlephin!"_

A girl that looked like _Wen_ appeared, her little cape having grown a lot and her hair darkening a bit, although rather than a larger version of _Rampengu_ , a large pink dolphin was her partner on the field. The dolphin had a crest atop its head with a sapphire exactly like the one in _Wen's_ staff. It also had a little bit of silver-blue armor over its fins.

 _ **Ritual Beast Ulti-Pettlephin**_ **: WIND Aqua-Type / Level 6 / 200 ATK / 2800 DEF**

"Last but certainly not least, I'll Set three cards and that ends my turn," Elias said confidently.

"Freaking _finally_ ," Hiroshi grumbled, looking over his cards. He scowled and glared at the _Non-Fusion Area_ like it was taunting him. "You couldn't have waited until _after_ we went to activate that stupid card, Dennis?"

The redhead smiled and wagged a finger at Hiroshi. "Isn't this Duel supposed to test how strong we are? If one little card ruins your entire Deck, well, I wonder just how you ended up number two of our class."

If looks could kill, Dennis would be dead multiple times over by now. But they couldn't, so Hiroshi had to look away eventually. "I… I Normal Summon _Summoner Monk_ , whose effect forces it into Defense Mode upon its Summon."

A blue-skinned monk in dark purple robes with a white stripe down the front and gold cuffs on his sleeves where he held his hands together. Some sort of red orb appeared to be part of the hood of the robe.

 _ **Summoner Monk**_ **: DARK Spellcaster-Type / Level 4 / 800 ATK / 1600 DEF**

"Then, using _Summoner Monk's_ effect, I discard _The Book of the Law_ in order to Special Summon _Aleister the Eidolon Summoner_ from my Deck!"

A blue-green-haired young man dressed in an armored robe appeared, kneeling next to Hiroshi's other monster. His robe was long and layered, a beautiful white covered with glimmering gold patterns on the chest and arms, with black edging. In one hand he held a futuristic-looking staff

 _ **Aleister the Eidolon Summoner**_ **: DARK Spellcaster-Type / Level 4 / 1000 ATK / 1800 DEF**

"I Set two cards face-down, and that ends my turn…" Hiroshi finished with an angry sigh.

"That makes it my turn at last!" Yukiko cheerfully exclaimed, holding up two of the cards in her hand—one high-Levelled monster and one low. "By banishing _Infernoid Attondel_ from my hand, I Special Summon _Infernoid Harmadik_!" she explained, tossing one of the cards up to a dark portal while she placed the other on her Duel Disk.

A monster that appeared to be some sort of robotic dragon made its way onto the field. It was made of a dark metal, with the "skin" of its wings being a violet color. On its back were three pods that held shadows within.

 _ **Infernoid Harmadik**_ **: FIRE Fiend-Type / Level 3 / 1600 ATK / 0 DEF**

"Now, _Harmadik's_ effect! Once per turn, I can target a monster on the field and destroy it!" Yukiko continued, pointing at _Chimera Rafflesia_. "Of course I'll be choosing your monster, Yuri."

The pods on the mechanical dragon's back began to glow for a moment, causing its red eyes to flash violently. It reared its head back, then shot a stream of blue fire right at the monster made of twisting vines. The plant burned up almost immediately and shattered, but Yuri did not so much as flinch.

"Next up, I'll Normal Summon _Peropero Cerperus_ in Defense Mode!"

A three-headed dog with light fur and long, pointed tongues appeared next to the mechanical dragon. Remains of muzzles were over each of its mouths, but they had long been snapped apart, as had the chain around one of its legs.

 _ **Peropero Cerperus**_ **: EARTH Beast-Type / Level 3 / 0 ATK / 1800 DEF**

"I'll Set two cards face-down, and that'll end my turn," she finished, sliding the remaining two cards in her hand into her Duel Disk.

Before taking his turn, Yuri looked around at each of his opponent's fields. He sighed a little and shook his head. "So this is the extent of your power… I have to say, I'm not very impressed. You're the weakest group I've faced so far."

 _He's not even impressed by my_ Non-Fusion Area… _?_ Dennis wondered.

"Hey, that's not our fault!" Scarlett countered, jabbing a thumb at Dennis' card. "How was I supposed to do _anything_ with that in my way? And the same goes for Hiroshi and Yukiko!"

Yukiko shrugged, "Actually, I did just what I wanted to. My Deck doesn't really _need_ Fusion Summoning to work…"

The ruby-haired girl huffed and rolled her eyes. "My point still stands. This _isn't_ the extent of my power at _all_!"

Yuri shook his head. "You know, Macfield had a point when he said that you have a bad Deck if it can get shut down by a single card." He proceeded to grin, a terrifying thing on a boy that young. "You'll see exactly why that card won't stop _me_ at all in just a moment. My turn, draw!" He looked at the card for a second, added it to his hand, then extended an arm. "During the Standby Phase, _Chimera Rafflesia's_ effect activates in my Graveyard! Because it was sent there since last turn, I'm allowed to add _Polymerization_ back to my hand."

Dennis narrowed his eyes; as though _Polymerization_ would do Yuri any good right now… unless he really did have a way around _Non-Fusion Area_?

"I don't think so!" Yukiko countered. "The other effect of _Infernoid Harmadik_ activates! By releasing _Peropero Cerperus_ , I can banish that _Polymerization_ before you can add it to your hand!"

Once again, blue flames leapt from her monster's mouth, only this time they targeted the ground in front of Yuri. He shielded his face from the flames, but his expression was unreadable as he looked back through his hand.

"Hmph. No matter, I'll activate my Field Spell _Predator Garden_!" Yuri announced. The arena around them morphed into a garden consisting of nothing but carnivorous plants arranged in neat rows. "Upon activation, this card places 1 Predator Counter on every monster on the field."

"Wait! Is that a targeting effect?" Dennis interjected.

Yuri gave him a wary look. "Yes… why?"

That answer made the redhead smile. "Because _Trapeze Force Witch_ prevents you from targeting _or_ destroying any of my 'Performage' monsters with card effects!"

While all the other monsters on the field found themselves with a small green plant head chomping down on some part of their bodies, _Trapeze Force Witch_ swung around on her trapeze, hitting away the ones that tried attaching to her or Dennis' other monster.

Yuri narrowed his eyes at Dennis' _Trapeze Force Witch_ , the slightest bit of a frown on his face, then shrugged. "Monsters with Predator Counters on them whose Levels are higher than 1 become Level 1," he explained, the tiny plants on each monster tightening their bite as he said that.

 _ **Volcannon Payload**_ **: Level 4 → 1**

 _ **Fenix Salvo**_ **: Level 4 → 1**

 _ **Ritual Beast Ulti-Pettlephin**_ **: Level 6 → 1**

 _ **Summoner Monk**_ **: Level 4 → 1**

 _ **Aleister the Eidolon Summoner**_ **: Level 4 → 1**

 _ **Infernoid Harmadik**_ **: Level 3 → 1**

Dennis gulped. If _Trick Clown_ had a Predator Counter on it, his plan for the next turn would have been entirely ruined. Granted, he also needed to draw a certain card to pull it off, so it could still fall through, but that would've put a stop to it immediately.

"Now then, I activate my Equip Spell _Predator Graft_ , which allows me to Special Summon _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_ from my Graveyard," Yuri continued. His feline plant with a yellow flower on top that he'd used as Fusion Material earlier in the Duel appeared on the field.

 _ **Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis**_ **: DARK Plant-Type / Level 4 / 1700 ATK / 300 DEF**

"Battle! _Hyena Catopsis_ , attack _Infernoid Harmadik_!" Yuri declared. "At this moment, _Hyena Catopsis'_ effect activates; because _Harmadik_ has a Predator Counter on it, it's automatically destroyed and _Hyena Catopsis_ gains 100 ATK!"

The feline plant pounced on the mechanical dragon, chomping down on the parts surrounding the Predator Counter. The dragon shattered and Yukiko had to shield her eyes from the wind.

 _ **Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis**_ **: 1700 → 1800 ATK**

"That will end my turn."

Alright, that meant it was Dennis' turn again. He moved, holding his hand over his Deck for a moment. _Please be a Level 4 monster…!_ he silently prayed. "It's my… turn! Draw!" Dennis announced, drawing his card in a slightly exaggerated manner. But that was the point. His parents had raised him to be a _star_ ; even with Academia's strict rules, he still threw his own flare into these Duels. _This is it, the moment of truth…!_

The card he'd drawn was _Performage Hat Tricker_.

He had to hold back an exclamation of happiness, that would be uncalled for, so instead he smiled. It was _exactly_ what he wanted. "I Normal Summon _Performage Hat Tricker_!" Dennis shouted, placing the card on his Duel Disk.

The monster that appeared did not have a body, or if it did, it was invisible. It consisted of a light-green cape tied around underneath an orange mask, which had a light-purple, three-pointed magician's hat decorated in stars sitting atop it. Two gloves completed the ensemble, giving the monster the appearance of having disembodied hands.

 _ **Performage Hat Tricker**_ **: EARTH Spellcaster-Type / Level 4 / 1100 ATK / 1100 DEF**

"Alright! It's just about time for the _star_ of this performance to arrive on stage!" he declared, his arms spread wide. "Take a good look at my field, everyone! In particular, look at _Hat Tricker_ and _Trick Clown_! What do they have in common?"

Yuri made a face; he'd never Dueled someone that was so… unprofessional before. "Eh?"

"What are you talking about, Dennis?" Elias asked, an eyebrow raised. He knew Dennis' Deck like the back of his hand. They'd both Dueled in their room countless times. None of Dennis' cards revolved specifically around _Hat Tricker_ and _Trick Clown_ , and even if he had some sort of Fusion Monster Elias didn't know about, _Non-Fusion Area_ was still out.

Yukiko scratched her chin. "…Both your monsters are Spellcasters?" she said.

"And they're both 'Performages'?" Scarlett added. "But that can't be right…"

"It couldn't be…" Hiroshi mumbled to himself, then continued, "Is it that they're both Level 4?"

Dennis snapped his fingers, then clapped a bit. "Ding ding! Hiroshi is correct! Now then, who can tell me what you can do with monsters that share the same Level?"

No one said anything for a moment, until Elias suddenly gasped in shock and covered his mouth. The realization soon followed on everyone else's face, with even Yuri himself appearing stunned at the idea of what Dennis was about to do.

Dennis' lips curled into a smile. _Perfect._ "That's right. I Overlay my two Level 4 monsters!"

A multicolored galaxy appeared, hovering right in front of Dennis. His two monsters turned into separate streams of light, circling each other before dropping into the galaxy.

" _Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Rank 4! Performage Trapeze Magician!"_

The trapeze, a violet pole strung up with glowing ropes, appeared on the field first. In a flash, the rest of the monster burst forth from the portal, grabbing ahold of the trapeze with one of his giant, gloved hands. His pants were baggy, and like the rest of his clothes, were a very light teal color trimmed with green stripes, along with purple fur surrounding his hips and shoulders. A magenta-colored mask similar to _Trapeze Force Witch's_ covered his eyes, while his hat only had a single point as opposed to _Trapeze Force Witch's_ having two. A cape was draped across his shoulders too; magenta on the outside and dark-blue on the inside.

 _ **Performage Trapeze Magician**_ **: LIGHT Spellcaster-Type / Rank 4 / 2500 ATK / 2000 DEF**

The entire room was tensely silent for several moments. Dennis' smile didn't falter, although he was not used to this sort of pressure. It was almost as if he had done something _wrong_ but… but he hadn't. He'd learned about Xyz Monsters last week during one of his classes, because they'd finally reached that part of the curriculum that prepared them all to be part of Academia's invasion force. His teacher had shown them all the Xyz Monsters available to them here in the Fusion Dimension, brought over by Professor Akaba years ago. _Performage Trapeze Magician_ had been one of them, and despite his initial disgust in the idea of _his_ archetype tainted by an inferior Summoning Method… it actually intrigued him, quite a bit in fact. Every time he'd looked through his Deck in preparation for this Duel, his mind went back to _Trapeze Magician_ …

…until he'd gathered up all of his—admittedly very large—allowance, marched down to Professor Daitokuji, and offered it all in exchange for the card. Xyz might be inferior to Fusion, but that didn't mean he couldn't use _both_ , he'd argued, eventually managing to coerce the card but only for this one Duel. And now that he'd brought it out… it wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting.

Then Yuri started shaking, to the point of doubling over, peals of laughter escaping his lips. "Hah… hahaha…! That's the sort of surprise I like, Macfield! Now show me what your monster can do!"

…Dennis let out a little sigh of relief; so it _was_ alright for him to do this. "Alright, you asked for it! I activate the effect of _Trapeze Magician_! By detaching one of its Xyz Materials, I can give one of my monsters the ability to attack twice this turn! I'll detach both, and target both _Trapeze Force Witch_ and _Trapeze Magician_ for this effect!"

The two little orbs of light around _Trapeze Magician_ disappeared, absorbed by either end of his trapeze. With this, he could end the Duel this turn.

"Let's go! For the first attack, _Trapeze Force Witch_ will attack _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_!"

The female trapeze artist swung around on her trapeze, directly towards Yuri's monster. The purple-haired boy just laughed, flipping up a card on his field. "I activate my Continuous Trap _Dark Seed Planter_! All monsters on the field are now given the DARK Attribute!"

A dark fog spewed out of the Trap, splitting apart and surrounding _Trapeze Magician_ , _Ulti-Pettlephin_ , and _Infernoid Harmadik_. Dennis raised an eyebrow at it. "But why—?"

"The second effect of _Dark Seed Planter_!" Yuri interrupted, the card shining again. "Any attacks made on my DARK monsters by other DARK monsters are negated!"

… _Oh._

 _Trapeze Force Witch_ quit swinging towards the hyena plant, returning to Dennis' side. The redhead 'tch'ed, he'd been counting on that to work. He couldn't pull it off again, which meant his victory over Yuri would be much harder. And there was still the fact that his monsters _had_ to attack…

His eyes darted away from Yuri's field. Scarlett and Hiroshi hated him anyways, it wasn't like this would change things. "Fine… then _Trapeze Force Witch_ will just have to attack _Summoner Monk_ instead, while _Trapeze Magician_ will attack _Volcannon Payload_ and _Fenix Salvo_!"

"Oh, come on!" Hiroshi grumbled as his monster shattered.

"Tch… Well, you made a huge mistake, Dennis!" Scarlett said, flipping up one of her cards. "My Continuous Trap _Backfire_ inflicts 500 damage to my opponents each time one of my FIRE monsters are destroyed. So take 1000 damage!"

Her Trap glowed and sent out a massive burst of fire that billowed across the entire field… until _Trapeze Magician's_ laughter carried through the flames, and all the smoke was swept up under his cape along with the fire.

" _Trapeze Magician_ negates any effect damage that's lower than his ATK," Dennis explained to the shocked Scarlett. "You'll have to try something else. …Oh, that ends my turn."

The ruby-haired girl looked about ready to strangle Dennis, not looking away at all while she started her turn. "My turn… draw," she grumbled. One look at the card and she cursed under her breath. "I Set a monster and end my turn…" That was an interesting move, most people would just Summon it in face-up Defense Mode.

"My turn! Draw!" Elias announced. He smiled a touch upon seeing the card, added it to his hand, then tapped the button on his Duel Disk to flip up one of his Set cards. "I activate my Trap _Ritual Beast Ambush_! This allows me to Special Summon one 'Ritual Beast Tamer' and one 'Spiritual Beast' monster that's either been banished or is in my Graveyard, and I choose to Special Summon _Ritual Beast Tamer Wen_ and _Spiritual Beast Cannahawk_!"

The two monsters returned to the field, and Yuri smiled. " _Predator Garden's_ effect activates! Any monster you Special Summon has a Predator Counter placed on it!"

 _ **Ritual Beast Tamer Wen**_ **: Level 3 → 1**

 _ **Spiritual Beast Cannahawk**_ **: Level 4 → 1**

The little green plants chomped down on Elias' monsters, but Elias didn't flinch at all. "That doesn't matter at all! I activate _Cannahawk's_ effect, banishing _Ritual Beast Tamer Lara_ from my Deck this time. Then… I banish all three of my monsters!"

The three monsters spiraled away into darkness while Elias chanted.

" _Evil psychic and thunderous spirit! With the river's power, combine your strength from time immemorial, and protect the world from disaster! Let's go, Contact Fusion! Descend! Level 10! Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio!"_

A massive rock lion clad in futuristic crystal-like armor with a young girl riding on its back burst forth from the ground, shaking the earth as it set down. The girl had yellow-orange curly hair and green eyes, the same color as her choice of attire. In her hands she held a wooden staff that had a rock spike stuck in it underneath a jagged orange crystal. The crystal was glowing, and controlled the flames that the rock lion's front. And since this monster was Special Summoned, a Predator Counter chomped down on the girl's arm, causing her pain.

 _ **Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio**_ **: LIGHT Psychic-Type / Level 10 → 1 / 3200 ATK / 2100 DEF**

"Alright! _Ulti-Gaiapelio_ , attack _Hyena Catopsis_!"

Yuri raised an eyebrow while the rock turtle began advancing. "Are you stupid? _Hyena Catopsis'_ effect activates; your monsters is destroyed and its ATK is increased by 100!"

Elias grinned. "That's exactly what I want! _Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio's_ effect activates! When you activate a card effect, I can banish a 'Ritual Beast' card from my hand to negate the activation and destroy it! And guess what, the card in my hand is _Spiritual Beast Pettlephin_!"

The young girl on the back of the rock lion raised her staff with a shout, the flames around her mount spiralling down the field and incinerating Yuri's monster… or so Elias thought. The hyena plant was almost entirely unscathed from that. "What gives?"

" _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_ cannot be destroyed by my opponent's card effects," Yuri explained. "Your _Ulti-Gaiapelio_ only negated its destruction effect. Furthermore, _Predator Garden_ prevents you from destroying my 'Predator Plant' monsters in battle using monsters that have a Predator Counter on them. You won't be able to destroy my monster this turn."

The blond frowned for a moment, adjusting his glasses while he thought about what to do. "…Fine. _Ulti-Gaiapelio_ will continue its attack, since you'll still take the damage!"

The stone lion continued its charge, stomping directly on top of the plants from the garden around them that had moved to protect Yuri's monster. The ground shook around the purple-eyed boy, forcing him to his knees for a moment.

 **Yuri's Life Points: 4000 - 1400 → 2600**

Yuri stood up, dusting off his pants, his expression unreadable as he stared at Elias for several long moments without a word.

"O…kay, that ends my turn," Elias said, weirded out by the young boy's actions.

"My turn, then, draw!" Hiroshi said immediately, his eyes widening happily as he saw the card that he drew. " _Perfect_! I activate the Quick-Play Spell _Mystical Space Typhoon_ , and of course I'll be destroying _Non-Fusion Area_ with it!"

Dennis shielded his eyes as a hurricane tore apart the Continuous Trap he'd been banking on to keep Yuri's plays on hold. He had to admit that it _was_ surprising the card had lasted as long as it did, but he still wasn't happy that his card was destroyed.

"And with _that_ out of the way, I can activate my Spell _Eidolon Summoning Magic_!" Hiroshi continued, sliding it into his Duel Disk. "Normally, this would force me to Fusion Summon using only the monsters in my hand as Material, but since I'll be Summoning an 'Eidolon Beast', I can banish the Materials from my field… or _anyone's_ Graveyard!"

That caught everyone off-guard. Hardly anyone used Fusion Monsters that could use their opponent's monsters as Material.

"I banish _Aleister the Eidolon Summoner_ from my field and the FIRE-Attributed _Infernoid Harmadik_ from Yukiko's Graveyard!"

Hiroshi's lone monster stood up and planted his futuristic-looking staff in the ground before him. The transmutation circle on his glove began to glow, and then a much larger version of the same circle appeared beneath him in red. Yukiko's mechanical dragon was dragged out of the earth by shadow hands, and with both monsters inside of the circle, it glowed a bright blue instead of red.

" _Occultist channeling the art of flames! With your magic, call forth the beasts of unending purgatory! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast!"_

The summoning circle flashed, obscuring the two monsters it held inside for a moment. It dimmed, and there were three monsters in their place, all held together by eerie blue flames. There was a tiny, stout fiend with bat wings, a spiked collar around its neck, a tall one with long arms and a spiked hat covering its eyes, and a bulky one that sat behind them, its lone eye staring at the ground. A miniature glowing version of _Aleister's_ staff was planted inside each monster—in the small one's head, the tall one's chest, and the large one's arm. But, it was still Special Summoned, so a Predator Counter made it onto the top of the little staff implanted in the small fiend's head.

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: FIRE Fiend-Type / Level 7 → 1 / 2300 ATK / 2000 DEF**

" _Purgatorio's_ effect! It gains 200 ATK for each card all of you control!" Hiroshi continued. With Yuri's _Dark Seed Planter_ , _Predator Garden_ , _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_ , and _Predator Graft_ , Dennis' _Performage Trapeze Force Witch_ , _Performage Trapeze Magician_ , and Set card, Scarlett's _Backfire_ and two Set cards, Elias' _Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio_ and two Set cards, along with Yukiko's two Set cards, that made a total of fifteen cards his opponent controlled.

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 2300 + (15 × 200) → 5300 ATK**

"F-Fifty-three hundred ATK…" Dennis muttered, practically gaping at Hiroshi's monster. Maybe he shouldn't have mocked Hiroshi earlier… that was a _lot_ of power. Hiroshi could end the Duel right now…

"Not only that, but I can also activate the second effect of _Eidolon Summoning Magic_ in my Graveyard! By returning it to my Deck, I can add my banished _Aleister the Eidolon Summoner_ back to my hand!" the dark-haired boy continued. "And since I haven't used my Normal Summon yet, I'll certainly be Summoning the card I just got back!"

The young man in armored robes reappeared on the field, with his book flipped open rather than held shut like it had been before. A card flew out of it, which Hiroshi caught and revealed to be _Eidolon Summoning Magic_.

" _Aleister_ allows me to search out this card when he's Normal Summoned," he explained. "I activate _Eidolon Summoning Magic_ again, this time banishing _Aleister_ and Elias' WIND-Attributed _Ritual Beast Tamer Elder_!"

For the second time that turn, the mage planted his staff in the ground. The massive transmutation circle appeared just like before, only this time its hands dragged the green-lad elderly mad out of Elias' Graveyard.

" _Occultist channeling the art of wind! With your magic, call forth the god of lightning and thunder! Fusion Summon! Storm forth! Level 5! Raideen the Eidolon Beast!"_

The transmutation circle flashed brightly, then revealed a monster in heavenly armor had taken the place of the two previous monsters. In one hand, he held a jagged sword that was surrounded by lightning, while in that very same arm was a miniature version of _Aleister's_ staff, just like with _Purgatorio_. A Predator Counter appeared and snapped its jaws right onto that little staff.

 _ **Raideen the Eidolon Beast**_ **: WIND Warrior-Type / Level 5 → 1 / 2200 ATK / 2400 DEF**

"Now then! _Purgatorio_ has the ability to attack all monsters you guys control once each, and it inflicts piercing damage too! And to start… _Purgatorio_ will be attacking _Performage Trapeze Magician!_ " Hiroshi declared, pointing at Dennis' monster. "This is for ruining my starting turn!"

Dennis awkwardly chuckled; Hiroshi _did_ have every right to be angry about that. If only he'd attacked Yuri first, though that would take the legendary in away from him. "I activate my Counter Trap, _Negate Attack_! Your attack is halted, and your Battle Phase ends!"

Hiroshi huffed and glared at Dennis, who just shrugged in response. Meanwhile, Yuri laughed at what had just happened, because had Hiroshi attacked _Hyena Catopsis_ first, the Duel would have ended. The price of rage blocking out his mental capabilities…

"… _Purgatorio_ loses 200 ATK since your card left the field, and that ends my turn," Hiroshi said through his teeth, his gaze not leaving the redhead for a moment.

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 5300 → 5100 ATK**

"Ah! During your End Phase, I activate my Continuous Trap _Void Launch_!" Yukiko called. Her card flipped up, and with that, she placed a hand on her Deck. "My turn, draw!" She added the card to her hand, but then her Trap started glowing brightly. "During my Standby Phase, _Void Launch_ allows me to send up to two 'Infernoid' monsters from my Deck to the Graveyard," she explained, holding up two of them—again a high-levelled monster and a low-levelled one—before sliding them into her Duel Disk.

Dennis recognized one of them, _Infernoid Devyaty_. While he'd never Dueled against Yukiko's real Deck before, she'd told him that _Devyaty_ was her true ace, rather than any sort of Fusion Monster she might have. Why would she want it in her Graveyard…?

"Next up, my Set Quick-Play Spell _Burial from a Different Dimension_! This lets me return my banished _Infernoid Attondel_ and _Infernoid Harmadik_ to my Graveyard!"

That meant one less card on the field…

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 5100 → 4900 ATK**

"With that, everything is in place! By banishing the other three 'Infernoid' monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon _Infernoid Devyaty_!" Yukiko exclaimed as she brushed her light-purple bangs out of her eyes.

A serpentine dragon burst out of the ground before her. Its purple body was segmented by golden rings and crisscrossed by black lines where there were no rings. Its wings were composed of the same golden metal for the structure, with the wings themselves being strips of translucent blue, and the horns that jutted around its mouth were also golden. A Predator Counter nestled its way to the body within two of the golden rings.

 _ **Infernoid Devyaty**_ **: FIRE Fiend-Type / Level 9 → 1 / 2900 ATK / 2900 DEF**

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 4900 → 5100 ATK**

"At this moment, _Infernoid Devyaty's_ effect activates! When it's Special Summoned, I can destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the field, except for my 'Void' ones!" Yukiko continued.

"…When _Predator Graft_ is destroyed, the monster it's equipped to is as well," Yuri said.

Blue flames erupted from beneath the serpentine dragon, spreading across the ground and destroying all the Set Spells or Traps remaining on the field, along with _Backfire_ , _Dark Seed Planter_ , and both of Yuri's Spells. To that effect, the entire garden they were in caught fire until it entirely burned away, leaving only the regular arena behind. Not only that, but Yuri's monster was caught in the flames as well, and shattered.

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 5100 ATK → 3500 ATK**

"Your field is wide open!" Yukiko pointed out. "Time for me to—"

Yuri shook his head, a glint in his eyes that hadn't been there before. It was almost… animalistic. "Oh no, not yet. You destroyed my _Predator Garden_ , which means all Predator Counters on the field are removed, then I get to draw one card for each. There were four of them, so I get to draw four cards!"

 _ **Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio**_ **: Level 1 → 10**

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: Level 1 → 7**

 _ **Raideen the Eidolon Beast**_ **: Level 1 → 5**

 _ **Infernoid Devyaty**_ **: Level 1 → 9**

Yukiko watched him take his new cards, frowning while he did, but nevertheless extended her finger directly at Yuri. "Those cards won't do you any good in your hand, though. _Infernoid Devyaty_ , take out the rest of his Life Points!"

The glint in Yuri's eyes was noticeable now; they were _glowing_ , his pupils having turned into snake-like slits, and parts of his hair started standing up like there was a breeze under him, which made all five of his opponents take a step back in surprise. Just what was going on…? "Actually~when you attack me directly, I can Special Summon _Predator Plant Sarraceniant_ from my hand and it takes the attack instead!"

Rather than attack Yuri directly, the dragon's flames instead tore through an ant that had curled green-and-pink leaves sprouting from its back.

"And when _Sarraceniant_ battles, after damage calculation, your monster is destroyed!" Yuri continued, a dark aura surrounding him to match the glowing eyes.

"I-I chain my Quick-Play Spell, _Void Seer_!" Yukiko said quickly. " _Infernoid Devyaty_ is unaffected by your card effects this turn!"

"Aw~! So your monster survives…" Yuri noted.

Alright, enough was enough. "…Are you alright, Yuri?" asked.

"Oh, yes, of course, never better in fact," he replied with a Cheshire grin. "I'm having _so much fun_ ~! Now, continue your turn!"

Yukiko narrowed her eyes, then looked away from the crazed boy. Her heart was pumping rapidly in her chest. There was something _very wrong_ here… "I… I can't do anything else, though. I end my turn."

It wasn't the sort of answer Yuri wanted. "That's it? Already? What happened to that fighting spirit of yours? You were just about to take out all of my Life Points!" He turned to Hiroshi. "And you… you could have as well, if you hadn't been so selfish!" He turned to Elias. "You're the only one who managed to damage me so far, but why didn't you do anything else? You could have, couldn't you?" He gave Scarlett a look, shook his head as though not to bother with her, and instead moved on to Dennis. "And _you_ … the _Xyz_ user… so close to defeating me as well. But you didn't! Not one of you was able to defeat me regardless of how hard you tried!"

Dennis looked over at the teachers in the audience, almost frantically. Didn't they see that something was _horribly wrong_ with Yuri?! But then why were they all just _sitting_ _there_ , watching as though this was just another Duel?

"That must mean you want _me_ to win…" Yuri continued, his voice lowered slightly from his extended rant. "So I will win… I'll continue win… _just as you all want_! MY TURN, DRAW!" he screamed, and the dark aura flickered stronger around him.

"I activate my Spell _Predator Breeding Grounds_! By banishing a monster from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon up to two 'Predator Plant' monsters from my Deck whose combined levels are equal to the monster I banished! I'm banishing my Level 4 _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_ , and that means I can Special Summon _Predator Plant Fly Hell_ and _Predator Plant Sundew Kingii_ from my Deck!"

Two monsters appeared on Yuri's field. The first, a venus fly trap with a sickly-looking stem. The second, a frilled-neck lizard entirely made up of a plant, dozens of tiny red spheres like extra eyes scattered about its neck and feet.

 _ **Predator Plant Fly Hell**_ **: DARK Plant-Type / Level 2 / 400 ATK / 800 DEF**

 _ **Predator Plant Sundew Kingii**_ **: DARK Plant-Type / Level 2 / 600 ATK / 200 DEF**

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 3500 → 3900 ATK**

"Now~! _Predator Plant Fly Hell's_ effect activates! Once per turn, I can place a Predator Counter on one monster on the field… and I'll be choosing _Raideen the Eidolon Beast_!"

Hiroshi stared at the little plant that made its way back onto his monster. He didn't like it one bit, even if the Level drop did absolutely nothing to hinder his strategy.

 _ **Raideen the Eidolon Beast**_ **: Level 5 → 1**

Upon seeing that Hiroshi had done nothing to counter his monster's ability, Yuri's animalistic grin grew even wider. "That's it~! It's time~! By discarding _Extra Shave Reborn_ from my hand… I can activate my Quick-Play Spell _Super Polymerization_!"

" _Super_ —"

"— _Polymerization_?!"

"With _Sundew Kingii's_ effect, I can treat _Raideen the Eidolon Beast_ as a DARK monster because it has a Predator Counter on it! And with that, I fuse _Sundew Kingii_ and _Raideen_!" Yuri continued.

Both monsters disappeared, dragged into the spiral of light behind Yuri. Hiroshi stumbled back, the realization that he could have stopped this by using _Raideen's_ effect evident in his fear-struck eyes.

" _Beautiful flower with an insect-alluring fragrance! Shadow of the thundering god! Now become one, and from the hell beneath your petals, give birth to a new terror! FUSION SUMMON! Come forth! Poisonous dragon with hungering fangs! Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!"_

The light portal burst… and revealed the terror within it: a serpentine dragon with a dark, almost sickly, green-colored body lined with red orbs. While it was serpentine, the dragon still had limbs that jutted out, covered in a heavy purple armor. Its hind legs in particular had extra purple armor jutting out backwards, with what appeared to be yellow fangs attached to the sides. Its wings were just like those extra parts, split down the middle with a giant red orb in each one, dripping venom that actually _melted the floor_ from its fangs. To top off the monster's terrifying design, it had two different sets of horns around its face—large ones that jutted around its entire head and a smaller set that surrounded its jaw.

 _ **Starve Venom Fusion Dragon**_ **: DARK Dragon-Type / Level 8 / 2800 ATK / 2000 DEF**

Yuri started laughing uncontrollably again, only this time he did not double over. He wavered on his feet, darkness billowing off him like waves, synchronized with each laugh that escaped his throat. "This is it! It's here, it's here, it's _here_! _Starve Venom_ , my trusted partner, is here! This Duel is _over_! Because all of its Fusion Materials came from the field, it gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of _all_ your Special Summoned monsters!"

 _Everyone's_ faces paled at that, with Yukiko actually stumbling backwards as they watched the mouths of the dragon's wings unhinge and absorb violet-colored light from all the monsters on the field barring Scarlett's Set one.

 _ **Starve Venom Fusion Dragon**_ **: 2800 + 2400 + 2500 + 3200 + 3900 + 2900 → 17,700 ATK**

"S-Seventeen _thousand_ seven _hundred_ …" Dennis gaped at the dragon. And he'd thought that 5300 ATK was high…

"Now~the second effect of _Starve Venom_ activates! Once per turn, it can steal the effect of a monster my opponent controls," Yuri continued, pointing at _Purgatorio_. "I'll be using your monster's effect!"

 _ **Starve Venom Fusion Dragon**_ **: 17,700 + (7 × 200) → 19,100**

 _ **Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast**_ **: 3900 → 2300 ATK**

Hiroshi cursed, and everyone else shared his thoughts. _Purgatorio_ could attack everything _and_ inflict piercing damage. With the only sort of backrow any of them had being Yukiko's _Void Launch_ , which couldn't even do anything in this situation…

"Battle~! _Starve Venom Fusion Dragon_ , start with Scarlett's face-down monster!" Yuri announced, one eye wide with the other narrowed; combined with the grin, it was _terrifying_.

The monstrous dragon swung its tail at the face-down monster. When it flipped up, it revealed _Battle Footballer_ , whose 2100 DEF gave it no protection at all in the face of this. The monster shattered, and _Starve Venom's_ tail continued, hitting Scarlett right in her exposed side because she'd been protecting her face. A single scream resonated from her before she hit the ground, _hard_ , and everyone could see the blood pouring out from underneath her torn clothing, where the tail had struck her…

 **Scarlett's Life Points: 4000 - 17,000 → 0**

"The second~! Attack _Infernoid Devyaty_!"

Dennis wanted to do something. He really did. But his legs wouldn't move, even if he had an actual plan in the first place… All he could do was watch as the dragon's tail swung around again, shattering _Infernoid Devyaty_ immediately. Yukiko let out a shout as the force of the blast sent her flying into the barrier that separated the Duelists from the teachers… and her head lolled to the side once she sank to the floor.

 **Yukiko's Life Points: 4000 - 16,200 → 0**

"Again~! Attack _Purgatorio the Eidolon Beast_!"

Hiroshi barely had any time to brace himself for the attack, the dragon's tail whipping down on his neck after it finished destroying his monster not a moment earlier. He slumped to the ground, blood pooling around him much too rapidly.

Dennis covered his mouth. He could smell the blood now, so strong it made him want to throw up. _Oh God, this is—he's going to—aren't the teachers going to do something?!_

"That leaves just the two of you left~!" Yuri cheered with sadistic glee, clapping his hands together. "It's a shame this Duel has to end so soon… oh well. The fourth attack~! _Ritual Beast Ulti-Gaiapelio_!"

Elias shot a look at Dennis and screamed for help, but none came as _Starve Venom_ flew over to _Ulti-Gaiapelio_ , turned, and had the mouths on its wings and legs tear through the rock creature and its rider. The rock creature fell apart under its own weight, one of the stones crashing down directly on top of Elias' head.

 **Elias' Life Points: 4000 - 15,900 → 0**

"The final attack~! _PERFORMAGE TRAPEZE MAGICIAN_!"

Dennis found himself unable to breathe while his legs shook violently underneath him, until they gave out and he fell backwards onto the floor. Unlike all the other times the violet dragon had attacked, this time it had its wings spread wide. Behind each one, eleven orbs of blue light began to glow, with reddish-magenta electricity connecting them to _Starve Venom's_ wings. Several tendrils of it wrapped about _Trapeze Magician_ while the dragon reared its head back and sent white-hot blue energy right at him.

Time seemed to slow down for Dennis as he watched the blue light barrel towards him. He couldn't stop the attack, he couldn't run, he couldn't look away. This was how it would end. He could feel it.

…Just as the light was about to overtake him, it stopped. All the holograms were gone—the Duel had been terminated by an outside source. For a few moments, Dennis couldn't believe that after what had happened to his classmates, _that_ attack was what drew the line. Then the fact that he was just about killed or at least gravely injured by that attack, but he was fine, registered in his brain. He could breathe again, although it hurt.

"Eh…?" Yuri exclaimed, the shadowy aura gone, although his eyes were still shining. "I was just about to win! Isn't that what you wanted?!"

"Win?! You just about killed me!" Dennis shouted.

That drew Yuri's glowing eyes towards him in a glare, and Dennis shrunk back. He probably shouldn't have said that. "The people want more realistic Duels. That's what I give them," he said with a glare. "And if I have to step on a few _ants_ to do it—"

"That's enough for now, Yuri," a young man said, clamping a hand down on the boy's shoulder. "Can't have you killing your own classmates, as amusing as that would be. This one, at least, shows promise."

Dennis blinked, staring at the eighteen-year-old behind Yuri. He was dressed in white, a modified uniform not unlike Professor Akaba's own. The young man had purple eyes, too, and dark hair, but his most noticeable feature was the twisting, scar-covered side of his face, as though only that half had been burned off long ago. Dennis had been looking in that direction the entire time… where had he come from? And who was he, to have a uniform like _that_?

Immediately the glow in Yuri's eyes cut out, and the boy frowned, staring up at the man next to him. "I went too far again," he stated nonchalantly, gaze flickering his defeated opponents. Yuri sighed. "Aw~it must have been fun, though…"

While that exchange happened, someone came up behind Dennis, unbeknownst to him since he was staring at this strange young man behind Yuri. "Dennis Macfield," the man said, and his voice made Dennis go rigid because it was the _Professor_. "…I have a mission for you."

* * *

 **A/N: So yeah, the elite of the elite of Academia are in a higher class than Obelisk Blue. Of course I had to put Edo and the Tyler Sisters in it considering their track record and their positions in the invasion force prior to Yuya's involvement. Dennis had to make it in because he was trusted to be the one to scope out the Xyz Dimension before the invasion. And, just because I am** _ **not**_ **writing another one of these, if you really must know, Sora ends up joining it at some point, he just likes the color blue, which is why he wears what he does in Standard.**

 **Side note, oh man the Zarc was strong in this chapter.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this! Please, oh please, leave a review telling me what you thought!**

 _ **(I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V. I also don't own Scarlett's OC cards, those belong to Donjusticia.)**_

* * *

 **Cards in this:**

 _Volcannon Fenix Bomber_

FIRE Machine/Effect

Level 4

Effect: (This card is also always treated as a Pyro-Type monster). Cannot attack. You can Tribute this card: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower FIRE Pyro-Type Monster and 1 Level 4 or Lower FIRE Machine-Type Monster from your Deck or Graveyard. Their effects are negated and they cannot attack.

1900 ATK

1600 DEF

 _Fenix Salvo_

FIRE Pyro/Effect

Level 4

Effect: (This card is also always treated as a Machine-Type monster). If your opponent takes effect damage while this card is on your side of the field or in your hand, you can activate this effect: Add 1 FIRE Pyro-Type monster from your deck to your hand, and if you do, send this card from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can activate this effect: Increase the ATK of all FIRE monsters you control by 1000.

1800 ATK

1300 DEF

 _Volcannon Payload_

FIRE Machine/Effect

Level 4

Effect: (This card is also always treated as a Pyro-Type monster). If your opponent takes effect damage while this card is on your side of the field or in your hand, you can activate this effect: Add 1 FIRE Pyro-Type monster from your deck to your hand, and if you do, send this card from your hand or your side of the field to the Graveyard. If this card is sent to the Graveyard by a card effect, you can activate this effect: Destroy 1 card on the field.

1300 ATK

600 DEF

 _Blazing Iron Fusion_

Normal Spell

Effect: Fusion Summon 2 Fusion Monsters from your Extra Deck using two FIRE Machine and/or FIRE Pyro-Type monsters you control as Materials. You can banish this card and 2 FIRE Machine and/or FIRE Pyro monsters from your Graveyard: Fusion Summon 1 FIRE monster from your Extra Deck using monsters you control.

 _Predator Garden_

Field Spell

Effect: When this card is activated: Place 1 Predator Counter on all face-up monsters on the field. When your opponent Special Summons a monster(s): Place 1 Predator Counter on that monster(s). "Predator Plant" monsters you control cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster that has a Predator Counter on it. When this card is destroyed: Remove all Predator Counters from the field, then draw cards from your Deck equal to the number of Predator Counters removed.

 _Predator Plant Hyena Catopsis_

DARK Plant/Effect

Level 4

Effect: Cannot be destroyed by your opponent's card effects. At the start of the Damage Step, if this card battles a monster with a Predator Counter(s) on it: Destroy it, then increase this card's ATK by 100.

1700 ATK

300 DEF

 _Predator Breeding Grounds_

Normal Spell

Effect: Banish 1 Level 4 or lower monster from your Graveyard, then Special Summon up to 2 "Predator Plant" monsters from your Deck, whose combined Levels are equal to the banished monster's. You can only activate "Predator Breeding Grounds" once per turn.


	7. 7: Mother

**A/N: And now for me to actually do a chapter of this based on a request! Thank mcdinh for this one!**

… **Well, I actually had the idea myself** _ **before**_ **the request was made, I just never got around to it.**

 **Either way, this is short yet sweet. Enjoy~!**

* * *

 **Mother**

"Droite-san, is everything alright…?"

Amber-colored eyes snapped open. The violet-haired woman shifted around, removing her hand from her face. She silently scolded herself; she was supposed to be on guard duty, yet she'd drifted off at some point. Droite rubbed her eyes and looked at the young girl before her. "What was that, Aria?"

The girl's lavender eyes looked almost worried. "I wanted to know if you're alright… you hadn't said anything in awhile…"

"I fell asleep," Droite replied to the girl she was supposed to be patrolling with. "Closed my eyes to think about some things and drifted off."

"O-Oh," Aria muttered. "Well… I didn't see anyone while you were, asleep."

Droite peered out of the broken window they were camped out beneath. She didn't see any of the invaders, and their bright clothing stuck out at night, so either they suddenly got good at hiding, or there really weren't anyone around. She hoped for the second option; as exhausted as she was now, she wasn't sure she could Duel the way she usually did.

"…What were you thinking about?" Aria asked quietly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

Droite's heart twinged before she worked up a reply. "I… I was thinking about my family. My husband and my son… they're alive, but they're part of the refugee group at the stadium. I haven't seen them in nearly half a year… and, tomorrow is my husband's birthday…"

"I see… that makes sense…" Aria went back to fiddling with her skirt, and Droite chided herself for being so inconsiderate. The girl had watched both of her parents get carded before her eyes, and was very lucky that the green-eyed stranger that occasionally showed up at the Duel Lodge had decided to help her and her sisters get to safety. Meanwhile, Droite hadn't lost her family to this war—many friends, _good_ friends, yes, but not her family.

Movement outside the window caught Droite's eye. She waved at Aria to keep quiet and very carefully peered out the window again. The movement was caused by two people—children, judging by their height—that were dressed entirely in black. Black was not one of Academia's colors, but she couldn't let her guard down because of that. Especially not since she and Aria were supposed to be the only ones on patrol in this area. "Stay here. I'm following them."

"But—we're not supposed to split up!"

"I'm _following_ them, not _fighting_ them, I'll be fine."

Reluctantly, the pink-haired girl let Droite go. The woman pulled her scarf back over her face and followed the two figures—young boys, she'd come to realize—around the corner, whereupon they went into… the ruins of a candy shop? If the two boys were with Academia, why on _earth_ would they need to go into a destroyed candy shop? It'd most likely already been looted for anything that could safely be grabbed and then some…

Against her better judgement, she drew closer to the shop. She heard them talking, along with the sounds of them rummaging through the debris in there. Either this was a pathetic attempt at a trap, or those boys were actually looking for something to eat. After a few minutes, one of the boys shouted happily—and Droite's heart skipped a beat, because the voice sounded like Yuto's. That couldn't be it, though… he was stuck on the other side of the city…

She was standing in front of the door when the two boys turned to leave. The sunken door frame blocked their view of each other's faces, although she saw one of the boys power on his Duel Disk—it was _not_ one of Academia's models—and that same boy, with his voice lowered, demanded, "Who's there?"

 _That… that's impossible_ , she thought, ducking her head under the door frame and lowering her scarf again. By some sort of miracle, the two boys in front of her were indeed her son and one of his friends—Reizo, the boy from the Standard Dimension. She stared at her son incredulously; she _had_ to be dreaming now, there was no way he walked all the way over here only with Reizo to back him up. "Yuto? It's… really you?"

"M- _Mom_?!" he exclaimed, equally surprised as her. A split-second later, he teared up and _lunged_ at her. She caught him and held him tighter than she ever had before. It didn't matter how, but she had her baby boy back and that was all that mattered. "I-I thought, I thought you were _gone_ ," he sobbed into her shoulder. "I mean—I always hoped— _I missed you, Mom_!"

With that, he couldn't speak any more through his sobs. Droite rubbed the back of his head reassuringly. "There, there, let it all out. I'm not going anywhere…"

* * *

 **A/N: …Man, writing this when you guys know what happens to Droite really hurt…**

 **Still, I hope this was still an enjoyable read. You got to see a little bit of Aria, who's only made one appearance in Rebirth thus far (although she** _ **will**_ **be making more appearances soon, don't you worry), and of course you got to see more of the reunion, from Droite's side to boot.**

 **Please review!**

 _ **(I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V or Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.)**_


End file.
